Title: Hands on design: comparing the use of sketching and gesturing in collaborative designing

Authors: Tellervo Härkki; Pirita Seitamaa-Hakkarainen; Kai Hakkarainen

Addresses: Faculty of Educational Sciences, University of Helsinki, Siltavuorenpenger 10, 00014 Helsingin Yliopisto, Finland ' Faculty of Educational Sciences, University of Helsinki, Siltavuorenpenger 10, 00014 Helsingin Yliopisto, Finland ' Faculty of Educational Sciences, University of Helsinki, Siltavuorenpenger 10, 00014 Helsingin Yliopisto, Finland

Abstract: This study explored the remaining potential of gestures as creative tools for collaborative designing. We compared novice designers' use of sketching against gesturing in early ideation and rough visualisation. To preserve the kinesic character of gestures, we developed a detailed video analysis method, which revealed that the majority of sketching and gesturing was complementary to speech. Sketching was important for defining complicated structures, while gesturing was frequently used for all aspects of designing. Moreover, we identified that the level of collaboration - the level and immediacy of sharing one's ideas for others - is an important factor. As an underrepresented phenomenon in the design literature, the meaning of collaboration unearthed here leads to unmistakable conclusions regarding the nature of gesturing, to the process of learning design, and to the use of design tools. Most notably, gesturing offers a complementary creative dimension - kinaesthetic thinking - which invites us to communicate and share instantaneously.

Keywords: collaborative design; design communication; design ideation; design learning; gesture; gesturing; gestural concepts; sketching; video analysis; micro analysis; kinaesthetic thinking; visualisation.

DOI: 10.1504/JDR.2018.091152

Journal of Design Research, 2018 Vol.16 No.1, pp.24 - 46

Received: 17 Nov 2016
Accepted: 05 Dec 2017

Published online: 11 Apr 2018 *

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