Design intent

This research area is led by Nathan Crilly

Alison McDougall-Weil is studying design intent and the subsequent user experience of architecture, specifically laboratories designed for experimental bioscience. The designs for such laboratories are frequently innovative, and often intended by the client and the architect to foster (or change) the culture of daily scientific practice. What the design intentions were, and how these buildings shape scientists' experiences and actions, is explored empirically through a multi-site ethnography of several US and UK bioscience research laboratories. The purpose of the study is to relate user experience to design expertise, offering insights to improve future designs.

Previous research in this area explored whether mobile phone customers attribute intent to the product designers.