Research on the Cognitive Differences between Novice and Expert for Product Design

摘要

Individual cognitive actions based on cognition and meta-cognition plays an important role in product design. The relationship of product design and individual cognition has been investigated in this paper. Some concrete cognitive differences of experts and novices have been proposed and compared, including cognitive subject and knowledge volume, as well as design experience and transference. Designer object works using awareness to product object during the design process, affected by cognitive attitude and cognitive capacity, as well as professional ability and personality characteristics. More design knowledge is benefit for the understanding the design task and work advance. The experience can speed up the design procedure using the designer's case base which they owed. Cognitive transference can improve designer's cognitive capacity and the modification of meta-cognition, as well as the increase of design knowledge and the change of knowledge structure. The experts' and novices' cognitive difference in the process of fuel-pump design is compared and elaborated in detail. The oral records of two experts and four novices during fuel-pump design had been researched. This study is helpful to make a decision and assign task for the product research and development department, to improve the cognitive capability of the designers and to make the product design rapidly and effectively.