Resumen de Effects of time pressure and presence of a fixating design example on novice designers’ effective use of a matrix tool in a design selection task

Gordon G. Krauss, James McConnaughey, Emma Frederick, Debra Mashek

• Does the useof a matrix tool in a designselection task helpnovice designers select the objectivelybest design even whentheyhave seen a fixating design and are working under time pressure? The use of matrix tools in a design selection process canimprove the selection decision, help identify shortcomings in the concepts, and indicate potential concept combinations. Aquantified score for each concept can be calculated using a selection matrix assuming that the customer weights accuratelyreflect the importance of each function and the performance of each function is accurately measured. In thesecircumstances, a selection matrix is able to address and eliminate issues of bias in concept selection. Yet, the applicationof such tools may only be accomplished in introductory design courses in a superficial manner and may be less effective inpractice than they could be. Limited time to apply the matrix tool and exposure to a fixating design example are two factorstheorized to reduce the likelihood of using a selection matrix and to completing it properly. This study evaluated the abilityof novice designers to overcome bias in a design selection process through the use of a selection matrix when time pressurewas present vs. absent and when a fixating design was present vs. absent.