Differences in thinking flexibility between novices and experts based on eye tracking

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Science
• Design Education
• Human-Computer Interaction

Background:

• Thinking flexibility's impact on design processes is under-researched.
• Understanding cognitive differences between novice and expert designers is crucial for effective design education.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the cognitive features of thinking activities in design problem-solving.
• To investigate the relationship between attention patterns and design outcomes (rationality and novelty).
• To differentiate the problem-solving strategies of novice and expert designers.

Main Methods:

• Utilized morphological analysis for design proposal generation.
• Employed eye-tracking technology to monitor visual attention.
• Qualitative analysis using Heat maps and Gaze plots.
• Quantitative analysis of fixation and saccade metrics.

Main Results:

• Experts demonstrated longer fixation durations and higher fixation counts, correlating with design rationality.
• Increased saccade amplitude was linked to enhanced design novelty.
• Experts balanced information consideration across all blocks, unlike novices who ignored less important ones.

Conclusions:

• Cognitive flexibility, particularly attention distribution and eye movement patterns, significantly influences design quality.
• Findings provide insights for training novice designers to improve creative thinking and produce superior designs.
• The study highlights the importance of balanced information processing in expert design problem-solving.