Matrix representational method for identifying prominent features of architectural design process

Abstract

Understanding design processes from the standpoint of information-based interactions that transpire between stages of activities is acknowledged to be a time consuming and painstaking task. This is due to the need to consider all possible links and dependencies between stages of design activities. Such conditions signify design as a complex process, of which activities are crucially driven by information exchange between stages of design. Despite the important role that information dependency play in enabling us to comprehend the nature of design, there is still a lack of emphasis on this dimension of research in the study of architectural design processes. In order to understand the complexity of design activities, the current research pays attention to a salient characteristic of the design process that is the iterative behavior/behaviour of designing. In order to propose a suitable method for depicting the information flow of design activities, this study further advocates the use of the Design Structure Matrix (DSM) as a powerful information modeling tool in providing a better understanding of complex processes in design. This study uses case study methods for data collection purposes where both qualitative (observation and interview) and quantitative (experimentation) data complement existing data. This was done to explore as well as to explicate the influence of human behavior/behaviour in the design process. The research concluded that DSM provides designers with a simple way of simulating a complex process through which we gain greater insights about the architectural design process. This sets the stage for the development of more practical tools in capturing and analyzing relationships between iterative activities in design and information flows that represent them.