The Cognitive Fingerprint of Design

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.

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.