John Gero

Drexel University, Psychological and Brain Sciences, Faculty Member

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Papers by John Gero

Effect of Representation on the Performance of Neural Networks in Structural Engineering Applications

Computer-aided Civil and Infrastructure Engineering, Mar 1, 1994

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A framework for studying design thinking through measuring designers’ minds, bodies and brains

Design science, 2020

This paper presents a framework for studying design thinking. Three paradigmatic approaches are d... more This paper presents a framework for studying design thinking. Three paradigmatic approaches are described to measure design cognitive processes: design cognition, design physiology and design neurocognition. Specific tools and methods serve each paradigmatic approach. Design cognition is explored through protocol analysis, black-box experiments, surveys and interviews. Design physiology is measured with eye tracking, electrodermal activity, heart rate and emotion tracking. Design neurocognition is measured using electroencephalography, functional near infrared spectroscopy and functional magnetic resonance imaging. Illustrative examples are presented to describe the types of results each method provides about the characteristics of design thinking, such as design patterns, design reasoning, design creativity, design collaboration, the co-evolution of the problem solution space, or design analysis and evaluation. The triangulation of results from the three paradigmatic approaches to studying design thinking provides a synergistic foundation for the understanding of design cognitive processes. Results from such studies generate a source of feedback to designers, design educators and researchers in design science. New models, new tools and new research questions emerge from the integrated approach proposed and lay down future challenges in studying design thinking.

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CAD modelling in multidisciplinary design domains

Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 1998

In a multidisciplinary design environment, such as the architecture, engineering and construction... more In a multidisciplinary design environment, such as the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) domain, the various designers will have their own views, concepts and representations of design objects, making communication in a CAD environment a complex task. This paper demonstrates that by taking into consideration the concepts of function and purpose such multiple views and representations can be accomodated. The representation of the functional properties of design objects and their purpose is the underlying basis for the formation of different representations and the coordination of these representations. The paper puts forward definitions for function and purpose which allow for the representation of these properties of a design object and for interdisciplinary communication and integration in a CAD environment.

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Evolutionary learning of novel grammars for design improvement

Artificial intelligence for engineering design, analysis and manufacturing, 1994

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AI EDAM at 20: Artificial intelligence in designing

Artificial intelligence for engineering design, analysis and manufacturing, 2007

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A Selective Bibliography of Computers in Architecture

Architectural Science Review, Dec 1, 1969

C'omputers have heen; iv; iiliiblc commercially for almost twenty years now. In this time th... more C'omputers have heen; iv; iiliiblc commercially for almost twenty years now. In this time the iirciic where computers made; in impact increased at ii rate far in excess of that predicted. Notwithstanding. it has only been in recent years that architects and building designers have begun to make iisc of ihc capability av: iilahle through coni-ptitcr utility. Although the use 01 computers in iirchitectiirc is in its infancy. there exists; I rcliitivcl) large array of information dcscrihing its implementation: howevci-. these articles have heen published 11)

Evaluation of architectural design profiles using fuzzy sets

Fuzzy Sets and Systems, May 1, 1981

Abstract A design is a statement about values, and design is intricately bound up with evaluation... more Abstract A design is a statement about values, and design is intricately bound up with evaluation so that any design decision in an architectural context is either explicitly or implicitly based on evaluation. On the hypotheses that a multi-objective system of many attributes such as architecture is describable linguistically and that all natural or artificial languages of interest can be given transformational grammars, this paper sets out to give conceptual general answers to the following questions:

Does Using Different Concept Generation Techniques Change the Design Cognition of Design Students?

Twenty-two mechanical engineering students were given instructions in the three concept generatio... more Twenty-two mechanical engineering students were given instructions in the three concept generation techniques of brainstorming, morphological analysis and TRIZ as part of their undergraduate education at a large land grant university. After the instruction for each concept generation technique, the students were formed into the same teams of two. Each team was given the same set of three design tasks, one for each concept generation technique, while their verbalization and gestures were videoed as they designed for a period of 45 minutes. Students' design cognition was examined by protocol analysis using the FBS ontologically-based coding scheme. Preliminary results indicate that statistically significant differences in students' design cognition were observed when using different concept generation techniques.

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Using neuroscience techniques to understand and improve design cognition <span style="font-size: 12px">Running title: Neuroscience and design</span&gt

AIMS neuroscience, 2020

Cognitive neuroscience research has traditionally focused on understanding the brain mechanisms t... more Cognitive neuroscience research has traditionally focused on understanding the brain mechanisms that enable cognition by means of experimental laboratory tasks. With a budding literature, there is growing interest in the application of the related methods and findings to realworld settings. In this opinion paper we explore the potential and promise of employing current cognitive neuroscience methodologies in the field of design. We review recent evidence from preliminary studies that have employed such methods toward identifying the neural bases of design thinking and discuss their impact and limitations. Further, we highlight the importance of pairing neuroscience methods with well-established behavioral paradigms during ecologically-valid, realworld design tasks. Experimental investigations that meet these requirements can generate powerful datasets of neurocognitive measures that can offer new insights into the complex cognitive and brain systems enabling design thinking. We argue that this new knowledge can lead to the development and implementation of new techniques toward cultivating and improving design thinking in design education and professional practice.

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Adaptive Systems in Designing: New Analogies from Genetics and Developmental Biology

Springer eBooks, 1998

This paper introduces the notion that analogies other than Darwinian evolution may be used as the... more This paper introduces the notion that analogies other than Darwinian evolution may be used as the bases for useful designing processes. Two classes of analogies are described: those drawn from genetics and those drawn from developmental biology. Two extensions to the genetic analogy are described. The first utilises concepts from genetic engineering, which is the human intervention in natural genetics, and concepts from reverse engineering. The second utilises concepts from developmental biology which is concerned with how the organism develops in its environment once its genotype has been fixed.

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Computer-Aided Architectural Design—Past, Present and Future

Architectural Science Review, Mar 1, 1983

The use of computers in architectural design had its infancy in the early 1960&amp;amp;#x27;s... more The use of computers in architectural design had its infancy in the early 1960&amp;amp;#x27;s, however, its potential has and is taking longer to realise than was first thought. New approaches to design coupled with dramatic reductions in the price of hardware have increased the range and applicability of computers in architecture. Today we are witnessing the introduction of computer-aided drafting systems into offices. Work in the areas of building modelling, design methods and knowledge engineering all indicate that the future use of computers in ...

Design Computing and Cognition '08: Proceedings of the Third International Conference on Design Computing and Cognition

Springer eBooks, Oct 1, 2008

... University of Cambridge, UK Umberto Cugini, Polytecnico Milan, Italy Steve Culley, University... more

The PhD Program in Design Science at the University of Sydney

This paper presents the historical development of the PhD in design science at The University of ... more This paper presents the historical development of the PhD in design science at The University of Sydney, its criteria and the methods by which a PhD in design science may be pursued. The PhD in design science has two strands: design computing and design cognition. The paper presents some examples of PhD research in design science.

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Artificial Intelligence in Engineering: Robotics and Processes

ABSTRACT

Computer applications in architecture

Applied Science Publishers eBooks, 1977

6. A Situated Cognition View of Innovation with Implications for Innovation Policy

Introduction Herbert Simon, in his 1968 Karl Compton Taylor lectures at the Massachusetts Institu... more Introduction Herbert Simon, in his 1968 Karl Compton Taylor lectures at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Simon 1969), introduced the notion that there should be a science of those things that humans generated in addition to the science of those things that occurred naturally. He called this the Sciences of the Artificial. The science of innovation and innovation policy falls squarely into Simon’s purview of the artificial. Like all sciences the science of such artificial constructs as innovation and innovation policy must commence with the recognition that there are phenomena to be observed and studied and about which testable hypotheses need to be generated and tested. If such hypotheses survive testing and are shown to have adequate predictive capacities they may be elevated to the status of theories. Scientific research into innovation and innovation policy is still at an early stage where there is not yet full agreement on what all the phenomena are, there is not an adequate set of testable hypotheses and the theories are still being developed rather than the outgrowth of tested hypotheses (Feller Section 1; Thomas Section 3.3). This is not unusual in immature sciences.

Architectural complexity and contradiction: a fuzzy set-theoretic basis and viewpoint

Design Studies, Oct 1, 1983

Abstract In this paper, the authors examine an essential problem of contemporary architecture, na... more Abstract In this paper, the authors examine an essential problem of contemporary architecture, namely, that of complexity and contradiction. The complex and contradictory architecture considered here is that which is based on the richness and ambiguity of modern experience as well as on the perpetual imprecision and fuzziness of human experience. Such an architecture is a valid one which evokes many levels of meaning and combinations of focus, and whose space and elements become readable and workable in many ways at ...

Feature-Based Qualitative Modeling of Objects

Objects represent fundamentally important ways with which to perceive and reason about the world.... more Objects represent fundamentally important ways with which to perceive and reason about the world. There are very few adequate representations for use at the early stages of designing. Feature-based approaches founded on qualitative representations have been used. This paper extends the qualitative representation developed for two-dimensional shapes to three-dimensional objects. It uses the qualitative representation to detect features. An example of the application of this representation is presented.

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Analyzing cognitive processes of a product/service-system design session using protocol analysis

Artificial intelligence for engineering design, analysis and manufacturing, Sep 17, 2020

Product/Service Systems (PSSs) are increasingly found in markets and resources are increasingly i... more Product/Service Systems (PSSs) are increasingly found in markets and resources are increasingly invested in PSS design. Despite the substantial research into PSS design, the current literature exhibits an incomplete understanding of PSS design as a cognitive activity. This article demonstrates that the methods used to analyse the cognitive behavior of product designers can be used to produce comparable and commensurable results when analysing PSS designers. It provides foundations for adding to the understanding of PSS design by generating empirical grounding for the development of hypotheses. The hypotheses are based on results from a cognitive study of a PSS design session in a laboratory environment using protocol analysis. This study is a part of a larger study comparing PSS design with product design. The results are based on the Function-Behaviour-Structure coding scheme. The results show that PSS design, when coded using this scheme, can be quantitatively compared with product design. Five hypotheses were developed based on the results of the study of this design session concerning where and how designers expend their cognitive design effort. These hypotheses can be used to design experiments that test them and provide the grounding for a fuller understanding of PSS design.

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Understanding conceptual electronic design using protocol analysis

Research in Engineering Design, Sep 1, 1998

Many theories about the process, of design have been derived from prescriptive or descriptive ana... more Many theories about the process, of design have been derived from prescriptive or descriptive analysis. There have been few attempts to empirically test these theories. Protocol analysis facilitates detailed inspection of the design process allowing design task analysis across the temporal dimension. Some hypotheses about the design process, derived from the literature, are objectively tested using results obtained from p~vtocol analyses of various electronics designers engaged in conceptual design, Support for the hypotheses is found.

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