Unexpected Discoveries: How Designers Discover Hidden Features in Sketches

Discovering hidden features in a representation without being fixated to a single perspective of viewing it is one of the crucial acts in creative activities. The process of designing through conceptual sketches is no exception; designers should be able to discover in an unexpected way visual/spatial features of sketched elements which were not intended when the elements were being sketched. How are designers able to make unexpected discoveries of this sort? What become the conditions in which unexpected discoveries are likely to happen? We have hypothesised that there are two driving-forces. First, when a designer simultaneously pays attention to a set of previouslysketched elements which have never been attended to together, he or she is likely to make unexpected discoveries in those elements. Second, when a designer has invented a design requirement during the process, the new design concept will enable the designer to view sketches from a new perspective and encourage unexpected discoveries. We examined the cognitive processes of a practising architect, and found that most of his unexpected discoveries were accounted for by these two driving-forces. This has implications for design education and design support.