Dear All,

In February 2003, Kari-Hans Kommonen posted a note to the list about
differences between how designers think and how engineers think.

Kari-Hans wrote:

-snip-

While this thread came up - I have tried to find good references on
what is the difference between the 'designer' tradition and the
'engineer' tradition. I subscribe to the view that there is alot of
designing in engineering, but still there is also a very strong
tradition of 'thinking like an engineer'. In the same vein, there is
a lot of engineering in design. Many people live within both
environments without trouble. But where is the difference between the
traditions?

I assume that there is some kind of an engineering tradition very
strongly present in the institutions that teach engineering, and
there may be some great books that are some kind of fundamental
resources for articulating that tradition. I used to study hang
around in a technical university for some time in my youth, and while
I felt the spirit and attitude, I unfortunately did not encounter
these kinds of books or articulations.

Can some list members share their views and maybe point out good materials?

-snip-

My response to Kari-Hans (below) included a reference to Henryk
Gedenryd's thesis. While Kari-Hans's query involved distinctions
between how engineers think and how designers think, the books I
suggested may also shed light on the issue of design cognition.

This is especially the case for Petroski's books, since Petroski
often examines the issue of design thinking. While Petroski examines
the class of designers labeled engineers, the issues in thinking and
cognition he explores generally address design problems in
engineering practice.

Best regards,

Ken


Date: Wed, 12 Feb 2003 13:58:35 +0100

Subject: Re: How engineers think vs. how designers think [useful books]


Dear Kari-Hans,

These three books may help. They do not specifically compare and
contrast how engineers think with how designers think, but they do
explore the question of how engineers think, and they explore
different aspects of the design thinking process as engineers
undertake it.

Bucciarelli, Louis L. 1994. Designing Engineers. Cambridge,
Massachusetts: MIT Press.

Petroski, Henry. 1994. Design Paradigms: Case Histories of Error and
Judgment in Engineering. New York: Cambridge University Press.

Petroski, Henry. 1997. Invention by Design. How Engineers Get from
Thought to Thing. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press.

This doctoral dissertation explores the issue of how designers think:

Gedenryd, Henrik. 1998. How Designers Work. Making Sense of Authentic
Cognitive Activities. Lund University Cognitive Studies [No.] 75.
Lund, Sweden: Lund University.

Three more books may interest you. These explore the early history
and development of engineering, and this sheds on light how engineers
think - or used to think.

de Camp, L. Sprague. 1963. The ancient engineers. New York: Ballantine.

Gimpel, Jean. 1992 The Medieval Machine. The Industrial Revolution of
the Middle Ages. London: Pimlico.

Pacey, Arnold. 1992. The Maze of Ingenuity. Ideas and Idealism in the
Development of Technology. Cambridge, Massachusetts: The MIT Press.

Finally, two rather intriguing books by J. E. Gordon explain issues
the natural and built environment from an engineering perspective.
While these books are not about how engineers think, they demonstrate
how engineers think quite beautifully.

Gordon, J. E. 1978. Structures or Why Things Don't Fall Down.
Harmondsworth: Penguin.

Gordon, J. E. 1986. The New Science of Strong Materials or Why You
Don't Fall Through the Floor. Second Edition. Harmondsworth: Penguin.

Best regards,

Ken


--

Ken Friedman
Professor of Leadership and Strategic Design
Department of Leadership and Organization
Norwegian School of Management

Design Research Center
Denmark's Design School

Faculty of Art, Media, and Design
Staffordshire University (Visiting)

+46 (46) 53.245 Telephone

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