Revealing the Design Process: Inventing a Meta-Analysis Method for Documenting the Fashion Design Process

Abstract

How designers think throughout the creative process is one of the major issues in the field of design. This study aims to introduce a meta-analysis method that documents and analyses the idea development processes of fashion designers. Eighteen designers created five contemporary women's wear designs in sessions with video/audio-recorded pre-and post-design interviews. Our analysis distilled the ideation process into seven steps, and we developed a design process coding map for each designer. This coding method reveals how salient features extracted from the source of inspiration change over time and how they converge in the final design sketches. This coding method helps us map the evolution of the design process on one page, allowing for a visual summation of key points in the process. Using this method, educators can develop systematic exercises for students, while practitioners can use the method to activate a self-learning process.