An introduction to capturing and understanding the cognitive behaviour of design engineers

There has been a rapid growth in the number of studies into the behaviour of designers in recent years and therefore it is necessary to provide a critical analysis of this work to identify the most popular techniques currently being utilized to capture cognitive behaviour. Following an introduction to the theory of cognition, this paper goes on to discuss specific tools and techniques that are currently being utilized to capture cognitive behaviour. Examples of the implementation of these techniques are then presented to allow a review of their success and limitations. The paper concludes that a considerable amount of research has begun to identify the role of cognition in design. It is recommended, however, that, before further research is carried out, work should focus on clarifying the successful implementation of tools and techniques being used to capture the cognitive behaviour of designers.