This article summarizes findings from a national survey of interior design practitioners in the United States (N=366
Although design practitioners have a myriad of information sources available, they often have little time to evaluate the information. The need to study visual persuasive tactics is highlighted by (1) the propensity of designers to use visual communications, (2) the availability of sources that range in validity, (3) work stressors encountered by designers, and (4) the benefits of using peer‐reviewed sources. Given these contexts, it may behoove design scholars to acknowledge the constraints and desires of their intended audience, which may include practicing interior designers. Framed by Petty and Cacioppo's Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) of persuasion, this study's goal was to compare design practitioners' hedonic perceptions of empirical research documents. Thirty‐four participants completed a mixed‐method survey soliciting perceptions relative to the organizational strategies and word‐to‐image ratios of two document iterations. Responses ascertained from Likert‐type scales, heat maps, and open‐ended questions suggest that designers, at times, evaluate an information source based on the graphic quality in which it is presented. Taken together, findings from this study might provide some useful guidance for those conveying information to practitioners who are less familiar with academic literature but could benefit from the knowledge provided, thus increasing the likelihood of informed design decision‐making practices. Furthermore, the methods utilized during this inquiry might serve as a pilot for future studies in this area.
Research findings that remain unknown to design practitioners stand little chance of improving their design processes or project outcomes. The research utilization gap is evident from both the perspectives of scholars and design practitioners. While design scholars have long lamented practitioners' apparent indifference toward scholarly research, some interior designers and architects attribute their apathy to irrelevance. The few strategies that have been offered to reconcile this divide largely remain untested. Consequently, little is known about practitioner motivations for seeking information and their patterns of behavior while doing so.This study used Pelz's Research Utilization Strategies and Hëinstrom's Information-Seeking Behaviors to gain a contemporary understanding of interior designers' information preferences (i.e., their motivations for seeking information and their activities while doing so). Findings stemming from 104 commercial interior designers and managers suggest that designers value information, often seeking sources for their general enlightenment. However, analysis revealed a statistically significant preference for rapid reviewing processes. Differences were also revealed between information preferences and the age and experience of respondents, such that inexperienced designers were more likely to use information to confirm beliefs rather than explore a problem.The apparent dichotomy between interior designers' desire to seek information and their often cursory behaviors while reviewing it, suggests that scholars who aim to share their findings with practitioner audiences may need to reexamine their dissemination strategies. Findings suggest confusion surrounding the ethical and appropriate application of information within project settings and design educators may wish to emphasize the application of research in studio settings.
If research findings remain unknown, they are unlikely to improve design processes and outcomes. While design scholars have lamented the lack of research utilization by practitioners, some designers have derided their efforts. While scholars have outlined strategies to decrease the research utilization gap, these are largely one‐sided suggestions and have lacked widespread implementation and testing. As such, a great deal of information likely remains out of the hands of those who could use it when making decisions that have real‐world implications. To determine a common understanding and collective direction surrounding design research utilization, this article synthesizes existing literature from social science, business, and information management, along with relevant findings from two national surveys. Using this evidence, this article proposes a model framed by economics and aimed at decreasing the research utilization gap prevalent in design. It calls for action on the part of both research producers and consumers and highlights specific issues, including topic selection, information translation, dissemination efforts, increasing awareness, value identification, and factors of action. The goal is for all parts of the design community to share in the responsibility for informing each other, thus growing our collective knowledge.
While the decision‐making strategies involved in the design process have long been a topic of scholarly exploration, less attention has been devoted to probing the likely antecedents to other decisions that potentially influence design practice. One such decision is the formation of a project team, which is likely influenced by those who are hired to work in a firm. While some interior design scholars have outlined the skills and characteristics viewed as most desirable by hiring practitioners, there remains relatively little information regarding the assessment of those attributes and how decision‐making strategies may sway the hiring process. This study sought the perceptions of those hiring entry‐level interior design candidates. More specifically, it aimed to determine preferences among the commonly cited factors of employability; namely, if hiring practitioners were more apt to prefer soft skills, hard skills, or specific experiences. The study then sought to discern whether those attributes are assessed through either System 1 (i.e., gut‐level abbreviated processes often reliant on heuristics) or System 2 strategies (i.e., rational, conscious processes utilizing a broad array of evidence). Findings stemming from a survey of (n = 106) senior‐level interior design practitioners suggest that they are likely to prioritize soft skills when screening candidates. Moreover, practitioners may utilize System 1 processes, heuristics, and relatively subjective strategies—to assess these attributes. Findings offer practical implications while contributing to the body of knowledge regarding the employability of interior design university graduates by empirically examining how hiring practitioners prioritize of a range of cognitive, emotional, and behavioral patterns.
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