J. of Design Research (4 papers in press)

Regular Issues

• Cognitive efficiency using heuristic vs. systematic design methods: assessing theoretical foundations and measures of design performance through a pilot study  
  by Jakob Clemen Lavrsen, Claus-Christian Carbon, Jaap Daalhuizen 
  Abstract: Design methods are increasingly called upon to help address society’s most complex challenges. To not overstrain individual cognitive capacity in such cases, design methods should support the cognitive efficiency of the method user. As our understanding of how method usage influences designers’ cognitive load is limited, a pilot study was conducted to test the theoretical framing of method usage and the influence on cognitive efficiency of using more systematic versus heuristic methods on a concept development task. We calculated cognitive efficiency across four measures of performance. Forty-four master students were split between three conditions, and the differences were analysed using ANCOVAs. The free choice of approach (Condition 3) outperformed the systematic and heuristic methods. While the small sample size means that only tentative conclusions can be drawn, the results provide central insights for understanding method usage through the lens of cognitive efficiency and the study of it in design research.
  Keywords: design methods; cognitive efficiency; concept development; heuristics; systematic design; cognitive load; mental load; design performance; design research; pilot study.
  DOI: 10.1504/JDR.2025.10076985
   
  
• Co-design method for concept design using a generative tool: a case study for furniture design  
  by Hojun Rhie, Soongak Jang 
  Abstract: With the emerging technologies of Industry 4.0, the concept of mass personalisation (MP) has been proposed and made major progress. However, little effort has been made to achieve MP in physical products, particularly regarding aesthetic features. Therefore, a co-design method is proposed that actively involves customers in the concept design phase. The proposed method is composed of three stages: (1) Preprocess: This includes eliciting the product’s perceived attributes (PA) that affect customer satisfaction. (2) Identify personal needs: Customers produce personal designs using a generative tool. (3) Concept design: A designer iteratively sketches concept designs and obtains feedback from the customer to evaluate the concept design. The effectiveness of the proposed method was verified in case studies on three types of household furniture: chair, pendant light, and tea table. The results showed that the method was effective for customers who did not have an exact image in mind.
  Keywords: co-design; concept design; generative tool; personalisation; GAN; generative adversarial networks.
  DOI: 10.1504/JDR.2026.10078588
   
  
• Exploring the experiences of bereaved mothers who have created digital memorials  
  by Robert Fraher, Brad Hokanson, Laura Lewis, Sauman Chu, Frances Trice 
  Abstract: This study endeavours to understand the user experiences of bereaved mothers (N=8) who created digital media memorials for their deceased children. The project considers how these mothers used digital media, what their experiences were, as well as why they did so. The purposes of the project are to 1) inspire a sense of empathy within designers of digital media technologies, 2) thereby grant designers a deeper understanding of the importance of their work, and 3) capture insights for improving the technologies used by these mothers. The study follows the Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis methodology and employs semi-structured interviews and structured analysis. The study’s findings include the technology and media types participants used, the ordinary and extraordinary experiences they endured in the process, and their rationales for doing so. We discuss implications of the findings for future research related to bereavement studies and interaction design. We end by addressing the study's limitations.
  Keywords: parental bereavement; grief; memorialisation; digital media; thanatosensitive design; interaction design; empathy; phenomenology.
  DOI: 10.1504/JDR.2026.10078760
   
  
• Connecting sustainable behaviour and subjective well-being: a conceptual model for design  
  by Michael C. Kowalski, JungKyoon Yoon 
  Abstract: An experience sampling and interactive introspection study was conducted to gain an understanding of daily activities related to both Sustainable Behavior (SB) and Subjective Well-being (SWB). While studies on SB and SWB are present in established bodies of design research, the connection between these two strands has been limited. Our results showed that, in general, many experiences reported mutually positive outcomes for SB and SWB. However, when a conflict between the two arose, individuals were far more likely to prioritize their own well-being over sustainability concerns. Activities involving products and environments that readily supported both SB and SWB without conflicts, as well as activities fostering social bonding and resource sharing resulted in more mutually positive outcomes. Leading to a conceptual model, these findings provide opportunities for design researchers and practitioners to address individuals’ SB and SWB in a more mutually beneficial manner.
  Keywords: design for sustainability; design for subjective well-being; sustainable behavior; experience sampling method; interactive introspection.
  DOI: 10.1504/JDR.2025.10079331