The Cognitive Fingerprint of Design

The Premise

We have models for how engineers should design, but the actual mental process is messy, chaotic, and full of false starts. The path to a solution is as unique as a fingerprint.

The 2-Month Project

A "protocol analysis" of one: yourself. Choose a challenging, open-ended design problem. For two months, meticulously document your entire process: every sketch, every calculation, every Google search, every moment of frustration and every "aha moment." Create a coding system for your activities. The tangible result is a deeply reflective paper that maps your personal cognitive journey and compares it to established models of the design process from cognitive science.