Articulating user experience in architects’ knowing: Tailoring scenario-based design to architecture

This project aims to develop design-oriented formats to inform architects about people’s spatial experience. The first part studies how users’ spatial experience is attended to in present-day architectural design practice. This allows mapping the preconditions of architects’ designerly ways of working with which new formats need to tie in. The second part analyses the potential qualities of formats that successfully foster insight, empathy and innovation in other design disciplines. Integrating the findings of both parts will allow the development of novel information formats that support architects in designing buildings that address the challenges of our diverse and ageing society.

Publications

Van der Linden V., Dong H., Heylighen A. (2019). Tracing architects’ fragile knowing about users in the socio-material environment of design practice. Design Studies, 63, 65-91.
Van der Linden V., Dong H., Heylighen A. (2019). Populating Architectural Design: Introducing Scenario-Based Design in Residential Care Projects. International Journal of Design, 13 (1), 21-36.
Van der Linden, V., Heylighen, A. (sup.), Dong, H. (cosup.) (2018).Articulating User Experience in Architects’ knowing: Tailoring Scenario-based Design to Architecture PhD dissertation. Leuven: KU Leuven, Faculty of Engineering Science.
Van der Linden, V., Dong, H., Heylighen, A. (2018). Architects’ Attitudes Towards Users:A Spectrum of Advocating and Envisioning Future Use(rs) in DesignArdeth; 2018; iss. #02; pp. 197 - 216.
Van der Linden V., Flebus S., Poponcini M., Heylighen A. (2018). Involving user perspectives in architectural design through scenarios: Lessons learned with students designing a co-working space. In: Zhang L., Lam Y., Xiao D., Gong M., Shi D. (Eds.), Cumulus Conference Proceedings Wuxi 2018: Diffused Transition & Design Opportunities (Eds.) (461-474).
Van der Linden, V., Dong, H., & Heylighen, A. (2017). The good client: How architect-client dynamics mediate attention to users. In R. Hay & F. Samuel (Eds.), Professional Practices in the Built Environment (pp. 174-183). Reading.
Van der Linden, V., Dong, H., & Heylighen, A. (2016). Building empathy: Opportunities for introducing future users’ perspectives in architectural design. Engineering4Society 2016: Raising awareness for the societal role of engineering (pp. 49-53). Leuven.
Van der Linden, V., Van Steenwinkel, I., Dong, H., & Heylighen, A. (2016). Designing “little worlds” in Walnut Park: How architects adopted an ethnographic case study on living with dementia. In P. Lloyd & E. Bohemia (Eds.), Proceedings of DRS2016: Design + Research + Society – Future-Focused Thinking (Vol. 8, pp. 3199-3212). Brighton: Design Research Society. doi: 10.21606/drs.2016.418
Van der Linden, V., Dong, H., & Heylighen, A. (2016). Capturing architects’ designerly ways of knowing about users: Exploring an ethnographic research approach. In P. Lloyd & E. Bohemia (Eds.), Proceedings of DRS2016: Design + Research + Society – Future-Focused Thinking (Vol. 8, pp. 3229-3243). Brighton: Design Research Society. doi: 10.21606/drs.2016.419
Van der Linden, V., Dong, H., & Heylighen, A. (2016). From accessibility to experience: Opportunities for inclusive design in architectural practice. Nordic Journal of Architectural Research, 28(2), 33-58.

Context

Funding Agency: Research Foundation - Flanders (FWO)
PhD candidate: Valerie Van der Linden
Supervisors: prof. Ann Heylighen, prof. Hua Dong (Tongji University)