Pii: S0142-694x(98)00030-1

stand design’ are two related but distinct processes. The activity of design necessitates making decisions, comparing alternative routes to take to decide on one, and thinking in abstract terms for conceptualizing; thus, it is synthetic. On the other hand, the activity of understanding design is similar to reading, necessitates deciphering the thought process of the designer, making abstractions of relations, relating the design product to other examples; hence, it is analytical. As such, the common denominator between the two processes is the capacity of abstraction, ability of thinking in abstract terms. Yet, the nature and the medium of abstraction may not be the same for students with different tendencies. Here, it is argued that while the act of designing (synthesis) is primarily related with the ability of making visual abstractions (graphic analysis), ‘correctly’ judging a design product is related to the ability of making