Design exploration assessment methodology: testing the guidance of design processes

This paper introduces the design exploration assessment methodology (DEAM) for comparing design process impact and outcome. Current practice fails to reliably generate high-performing alternatives in part because it lacks systematic means to compare existing or emerging design processes. Researchers lack empirical methods and data to evaluate design challenges and the strategies available to address them. In this paper, we document and then apply the DEAM to the professional implementation of six design strategies across two design challenges using the charrette test method. The results are used to compare the strategies according to the performance of the solution(s) generated. For the strategies and challenges investigated, more information during design does not always assist the designer to produce better performing alternatives. We discuss possible explanations and conclude with a discussion of the strengths and weaknesses of the DEAM as an evaluation method. Initial findings demonstrate that the DEAM is a method capable of providing a meaningful comparison of strategies in the domain of energy-efficient design challenges.