Interior Design Practitioners Research Articles

Connected Design Learning: Aspiring Designers, Pinterest, and Social Media Literacy

Interior design practitioners continue to adopt social media technologies as part of the early stages of the inspiration design process. This prominence of social media is also interwoven in the practices of design students. However, the way interior design students perceive and use social media such as Pinterest® as a part of their design process has been underexplored. Drawing on interviews with 25 interior design students in a Council for Interior Design Accredited program, the findings from this study illustrate how students are developing their own norms and guidelines for their search strategies, evaluation of sources, and navigation of attribution on Pinterest. An understanding of interior design students’ perceptions of Pinterest is situated through a connected design learning and information literacy approach, which places values on student-driven interests, media knowledge, and technologies as opportunities to amplify design learning experiences across digital–physical environments. Although Pinterest has social networking features, the interviews revealed that interior design students do not view Pinterest as a social media platform and instead think of Pinterest as a digital tool used alongside other design software. From a connected design learning approach, this finding suggests an opportunity for educators to guide students on how to leverage some of the social features to expand their own professional design networks. With an ever-changing media ecology that provides opportunities for sharing creative work and requires adeptness at managing visibility and flows of information, insights for building more intentional learning environments around how students use Pinterest in interior design are provided.

Interior design social compact possibilities in tandem with industry realities in South Africa

The interior design social compact lies on the fringes of the profession’s body of knowledge, and thus, its lack of centring contributes nuanced multiplicity of interior design professionalisation challenges. Beyond these challenges, (Design) for social innovation for socially responsible design is seen by the study as an end for increased interior design scope and social engagement. Hence, the aim of this study is to establish whether interior design practitioners saw social innovation as a tool for more socially responsible design and whether they have engaged in social innovation and socially responsible design in their practice. The research followed an exploratory qualitative research approach positioned in the interpretive paradigm. The research used semi-structured participant interviews and thematic analysis to explore in-depth insights into the perspectives and experiences of thirteen South Africa-based interior designers and their perceptions of social innovation integration for socially responsible design. Five themes emerged in the data analysis guided by the conceptual framework: Social Problem Identification, Interior Design Process, Social Innovation Process, Socially Responsible Design Process and Social Value. Although the participants’ comprehension was sometimes muddled, the aggregate of their perceptions demonstrated a general grasp of what social innovation and socially responsible design are. Of the advantages of integrating social innovation for socially responsible interior design communicated by the participants, the most significant was the change of collective expectations of interior design by the public and other business professionals. The participants shared that social innovation would favour the discipline by demonstrating to the public and other practitioners that it was about more than shallow design aesthetics. Interior design is, however, about enhancing the human experience and complicated problem-solving.

Application of Green Design Concept in Interior Design Practice

Parallel with the increasing development of China’s social economy, many people are paying attention to the high-level design quality of interior design and the aesthetics and environmental protection of interior design. Therefore, the concept of integrating green design has become the focus of designers in the works of interior design. Based on the overview of green interior design concept, the author introduces the role and principles of green design concept in interior design, and discusses in detail the key applications of green design concept in interior design, hoping to provide reference and guidance for interior design practitioners.

Designers' perceptions of biophilia and testing of the biophilic interior design matrix in China

PurposeThe Biophilic Interior Design Matrix (BID-M) was created to assist designers with identifying biophilic interior design features for optimizing nature integration for evidence-based design. The BID-M was developed and tested with interior design practitioners in the United States. There was a need to further develop the BID-M for other cultures along with understanding the designers' perceptions of biophilia.Design/methodology/approachA mixed methods approach was used with 101 interior designers/architects practicing in China using a pre- and post-questionnaire surrounding a room assessment using the BID-M.FindingsThe Chinese translation of the BID-M was perceived as beneficial to design practice, evaluated as reliable and valid. The Chinese designers perceived a significant increase in knowledge and importance of biophilia after using the BID-M and it was useful in assisting all parts of the design process. The designers had some prior experience with biophilic design and clients have been requesting suitable natural and artificial light features.Practical implicationsThe BID-M was seen as a human centered design tool that is useful to evaluate biophilic design features in the built environment.Originality/valueOverall, the BID-M appears to be useful throughout the design process to ultimately support well-being. The participants' cultural background expands use of the BID-M and provides opportunities for additional cultural applications of biophilic design and future research. The BID-M offers additional language for incorporating biophilic design as well as serving to educate and guide feature selection.

Diy Biophilia: Development of the Biophilic Interior Design Matrix as a Design Tool

Biophilic design seeks to connect people with nature in the built environment. Growing research supports such nature–based inclusion in the built environment, yet little detailed guidance exists for how to integrate it. This study used systematic development, testing, and expansion of the Biophilic Design Matrix (BDM) for the incorporation of biophilia specifically for interior design. McGee and Marshall–Baker developed the original BDM based on Kellert's proposal of biophilic attributes, and it was initially applied in a healthcare setting. To make it more valid and reliable, this study further developed the BDM through cognitive testing with interior design practitioners in another setting type. This included the participants assessing the BDM and completing pre– and postquestionnaires. It also guided the finalized BDM development that now contains six elements and 54 attributes. The findings demonstrate that the interior design practitioners’ use of the BDM increased perceived knowledge of biophilic design. The modified version is now called the Biophilic Interior Design Matrix (BID–M), which is valid for biophilic interior design identification. The BID–M also offers assistance with biophilic inclusion throughout the design process and, as such, can support the more integral incorporation of nature–based features in the design of interior environments. The finalized biophilic interior design vocabulary should be useful to help designers include thoughtful biophilic variety for unique application, thus assisting with a “do–it–yourself” approach.

Exploring Hiring Practitioner Preferences for and Assessment Practices of Prospective Candidates

While the decision–making strategies involved in the design process have long been a topic of scholarly exploration, less attention has been devoted to probing the likely antecedents to other decisions that potentially influence design practice. One such decision is the formation of a project team, which is likely influenced by those who are hired to work in a firm. While some interior design scholars have outlined the skills and characteristics viewed as most desirable by hiring practitioners, there remains relatively little information regarding the assessment of those attributes and how decision–making strategies may sway the hiring process. This study sought the perceptions of those hiring entry–level interior design candidates. More specifically, it aimed to determine preferences among the commonly cited factors of employability; namely, if hiring practitioners were more apt to prefer soft skills, hard skills, or specific experiences. The study then sought to discern whether those attributes are assessed through either System 1 (i.e., gut–level abbreviated processes often reliant on heuristics) or System 2 strategies (i.e., rational, conscious processes utilizing a broad array of evidence). Findings stemming from a survey of ( n = 106) senior–level interior design practitioners suggest that they are likely to prioritize soft skills when screening candidates. Moreover, practitioners may utilize System 1 processes, heuristics, and relatively subjective strategies—to assess these attributes. Findings offer practical implications while contributing to the body of knowledge regarding the employability of interior design university graduates by empirically examining how hiring practitioners prioritize of a range of cognitive, emotional, and behavioral patterns.

An Evaluation of Oral Presentation Competency in Interior Design Education

As digital modelling programmes become increasingly prevalent in interior design education, there is concern that graduates are entering the workforce relying too much on strong graphic presentation skills while lacking the basic ability to speak about design. This study explores the gap between practitioners’ perceptions of importance regarding oral presentation competency and students’ perceptions of their oral presentation performances. Additionally, the study explores correlations between in-class activities and students’ perceptions of their oral presentation competency. Mixed-methods of investigation include a Delphi study with a panel of interior design practitioners and a survey questionnaire of both practitioners (n = 102) and currently active interior design students (n = 91) in the USA. An Importance-Performance framework is employed for comparison. Results identify performance criteria for evaluating oral presentation competency and indicate variances between students’ perceptions of their performance and industry perceptions of importance. Furthermore, students’ in-class activities including studio critiques and written peer assessments show significant correlation with student oral presentation performance indicating activities already frequently incorporated into a design curriculum may have a greater impact on improving performance than specific oral presentation instruction alone.

RESEARCH UTILIZATION IN THE DESIGN DECISION MAKING PROCESS

This article summarizes findings from a national survey of interior design practitioners in the United States (N=366). The study explored interior design practitioners' current preferences for conducting project research including: activities conducted and sources used, attraction to and recall from sources, and ideas for communicating research findings. Responses suggest that interior designers do value research, yet have little time to utilize research. While cross-tabulation analyses indicate no major differences in research activities between the study’s demographic groups, collectively, only 12% of the sample indicated they utilized academic journals and, at times, even incorrectly identified those sources. Open-ended responses allowed designers to offer ideas for communicating research and four key themes emerged, including: topic selection and relevancy, ideas for new dissemination methods, ideas for presentation style, and perceptions of the written language used. It is hoped that this study’s findings may help design researchers better communicate their own findings to design practitioners.

Ruling on the Profession: Interior Design in the Courts

This paper uses the legal story of an interior design practitioner, Florence Karasik, as a basis for a broader discussion of the professionalization of interior design. The Karasik case will demonstrate three things: (1) that law, which is largely neglected in histories of professionalism, is an important barometer for shifting opinions about what it means to be a profession; (2) that everyday people, like Florence Karasik, had their own, popular conceptions of interior design as a profession; and (3) that popular and legal conceptions of the professionalization of interior design did not always align. The Karasik case, which disclosed a dynamic legal and popular conversation about what it meant to be a professional interior designer, highlights the increasingly decisive role the state would play in the second half of the twentieth century in determining the professional status of interior design.

Throwing in the Towel: Burnout among Practicing Interior Designers

Job turnover is often preceded by burnout, a psychological syndrome involving prolonged response to stressors on the job (Maslach & Leiter, 2008). This phenomenon is measured along a continuum ranging from job engaged to full burnout. Higher levels of burnout can result in turnover, excessive absenteeism, and numerous physical and emotional symptoms among employees. The purpose of this study was to assess levels of burnout among practicing interior designers, and identify both individual and situational factors relative to burnout. The Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI–GS) was used to measure burnout and a Job Satisfaction survey gathered basic demographic and situational (job–related) information from practicing interior designers ( N = 130). The voluntary and anonymous surveys were distributed via US Mail and the response rate was 52%. Results revealed that study participants were experiencing a moderate level of burnout. However, when compared with other professions, interior designers rated highest in cynicism and second only to nurses in exhaustion, as measured by the MBI–GS. Statistically significant correlations and regressions were found between burnout and the individual factors of age and years of professional practice as well as the situational factors of workload, control, reward, and fairness. The results and implications of the study are relevant to both interior design practitioners and academics and the discussion calls upon these communities to reconsider discipline–based traditions and expectations that may exacerbate burnout to keep practitioners healthy and positively engaged in the profession.

Interior Design Practitioner Motivations for Specifying Sustainable Materials: Applying the Theory of Planned Behavior to Residential Design

Although sustainable design has become one of the major concerns in the interior design industry, the frequency of making such sustainable choices in real practice is still limited. Given that little research has yet focused on interior designers’ choice of sustainable material, this study aimed to identify factors affecting interior designers’ sustainable material choices focusing on sustainable flooring materials for residential use. On the basis of the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) as a theoretical framework, we developed hypotheses to test relationships (1) between three determinants (attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control) and behavioral intention and (2) between two behavioral beliefs (environmental outcome and health outcome) and attitude. This study used quantitative methodologies through an Internet survey with a sample selected from American Society of Interior Designers practicing residential design. A total of 225 final surveys were utilized for further analysis. Findings revealed that all three determinants (attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control) were positively associated with behavioral intention to choose sustainable flooring materials. Attitude toward adopting sustainable flooring materials were significantly related to environmental beliefs but not to health beliefs. Our findings imply that the TPB framework can provide valuable insights for developing more effective and comprehensive strategies and strengthening the interior design curriculum to promote interior designers’ sustainable decision–making in material choices in actual real–life design practice.

Ty Gwyn: Documenting the Design of a Special School in Wales

This design case describes the design process used for the development of new special school facilities for children with severe disabilities in Wales, United Kingdom. The lived experience is described from the interior design practitioner perspective. The background to the design of the school is outlined, and the design process and design changes that were made during the build process are detailed. The main features discussed are the toilet areas, hoist lifting system, the wayfinding and signage system, the hydrotherapy pool, and the wheelchair storage areas. Working relationships with key stakeholders involved in the design process are documented, including the Head Teacher, the staff, students, health professionals, service providers, and suppliers. During the build process, additional examples are provided of positive working arrangements between the project manager and the contractor to resolve design issues. The design case concludes by suggesting that, in this particular case, constant dialogue between all parties involved was a key component of this successful design outcome, in addition to obtaining design input from a variety of sources and flexibility to overcome issues on site.

Eye Candy:

Joseph Holtzman is an interior design practitioner and the former editor-in-chief of the interior design journal nest (26 issues printed from Fall 1997-Winter 2003/2004). Holtzman’s highly embellished interiors readdress prevailing assumptions regarding authenticity and the socio-cultural pleasure of decorated environments.This paper evaluates the private residence of Joseph Holtzman as an interior liberated from traditional concepts of appropriate discretion. By subsuming the perimeter planes and surfaces with voluble expressions of material excess, Holtzman’s residence challenges the understanding of interior design as a mannerly expression of built form. In foregrounding rather than problematising the connotations of artifice and embellishment, Holtzman’s work explores qualities of decoration that provoke, subvert, and renegotiate understandings of propriety in contemporary interior design practice.

A Survey on Practitioner Attitudes toward Research in Interior Design Education

The purpose of this study was to investigate interior design practitioners’ perceived attitudes toward the inclusion of research at the undergraduate and graduate levels, minimum degree requirements for practice and teaching, and the value of the graduate degree in the field of interior design. Interior design practitioners who are members of the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) were surveyed ( n = 250) using an online questionnaire based on several existing scales. The questionnaire was distributed through a primary contact with ASID as an e–mail blast to all members within the organization. As a whole, the participants in this investigation believed that undergraduate and graduate students should have an understanding of research and be able to apply findings to design projects. However, practitioners did not respond positively to positioning the Master of Interior Design (MID) as the first professional degree or to a graduate degree in general as a minimum credential to practice. Some practitioners valued the graduate degree to increase marketability, enhance the prestige of the profession, and provide specialization. Others placed more emphasis on practical experience, continuing education, and innate talent rather than a graduate degree. More educated individuals with advanced degrees who were younger than 40 and were practicing commercial design were significantly more likely to value research. The fact that some educators have been advocating for the MID as the first professional degree for the discipline shows a disconnect between practice and academia.

CO2–Based Demand–Controlled Ventilation and Its Implications for Interior Design

CO2–based demand–controlled ventilation (DCV) is a ventilation method that resets outdoor air supply rates using CO2 as an operating parameter ( ASHRAE, 2007a ). Even though CO2 itself is not harmful, high levels of CO2 concentration in indoor environments displace oxygen in the air and can cause a deficiency of oxygen for breathing. The most important aspect of CO2 in DCV is that it is a good indicator of occupancy in indoor spaces. Therefore, CO2 is an effective parameter for controlling ventilation based on occupancy level. CO2–based DCV has been increasingly used in recent years to optimize the energy consumption in ventilation systems as technological advances make its implementation more feasible and interest in environmentally responsible building design grows. This study aims to provide information about CO2–based DCV and suggest implications for interior design practitioners and educators. To achieve this purpose, this study reviewed previous studies and examined the current practices in CO2–based DCV in order to suggest guidelines for CO2–based DCV implementation for interior designers. The guidelines focused on proper CO2 sensor location design, taking into consideration the activities and other equipment in the room. In addition, a study of CO2–based DCV in the lecture halls of a university campus was conducted. Physical measurements were done in the lecture halls, and trends data were collected from the university's facility management department to compare the measurements. A perceived indoor environmental quality survey was also done to explore the occupants’ responses about CO2–based DCV.

Sustainability: Environmentally Responsible Interior Design

Do you remember when the discussions on sustainability evolved from cutting household costs through ‘‘energy efficiency’’ and ‘‘solar power’’ to a growing awareness that resource conservation includes social and cultural implications as well as physical and economic impacts? Perhaps it is enough to know that early on interior design educators and practitioners embraced the reality that our responsibility to the planet and its inhabitants included meeting diverse needs and expectations of the people who occupy the environments we design. There is hardly any topic or subject within interior design that doesn’t have a direct relationship with sustainability. More than a responsibility for selecting ‘‘green’’ materials, we now also acknowledge that sustainability in interior design aligns with client values and vision. For interior design, this involves not only space planning for efficiency and productivity, but also embracing a holistic approach to fostering sustainability for both individual workers and aggregate organizations. Sustainable environments include schools that are learning environments and hospitals that are healing environments. Interior design decisions can support and sustain community, culture, family, and individual identity. Designers elevate the most vulnerable when we design for equality and justice. Interior design projects an important voice in the sustainability movement.

Establishing a Substantial Link between Human and Environmental Welfare

Research is viewed as an essential activity in the creation of design solutions to address the safety crisis in healthcare environments (Institute of Medicine, 1999). This issue of HERD contains research findings from qualitative and quantitative methods of inquiry and from exploratory studies to experiments, a discussion of theory building, and the presentation of tools for inquiry. Authors of these papers represent diverse experiences and viewpoints: they are current and former nurses/ nursing administrators, interior design and architecture practitioners and/or design firm researchers, and academicians. All discuss an evidencebased design (EBD) approach, while lamenting its limited influence on design practice. The issue is evidence; identifying and validating it is a paramount challenge, especially considered against the balance of design solutions and trends based on anecdotal information. These authors also note as a limitation the generalization of findings attributable to unique research settings, small data sets, and confounding variables. However, the insights and resources contained within these papers are impressive. A brief discussion of each paper is followed by questions to be considered.Ulrich and colleagues discuss origins, the development of EBD, and the benefits stakeholders could experience from its application to the design of the healthcare environment. They describe a conceptual framework for healthcare's EBD domain across nine design variable categories, identify knowledge gaps, and encourage the use of both. By providing categories (e.g., safety enhancement, sustainability) within their framework, their organizational structure helps the healthcare designer consider the current-perhaps overabundant-knowledge and information sources available.Zborowsky and Bunker-Hellmich ask and why now in reference to design practitioners' focus on EBD and the emergence of practicebased research (PBR) in architecture and design firms. They predict findings from PBR, adding to the knowledge gleaned historically from the disciplines of environmental psychology and cultural geography. Acknowledging the struggle of reconciling confounding research findings, Zborowsky and Bunker-Hellmich advocate for hypothesis creation and grounding design solutions in findings from testing theoretical frameworks. Moreover, stakeholders must be incorporated in the decision-making process in concert with the knowledge generated from PBR both inside and outside the design firm. They propose that sharing knowledge beyond the firm will require a paradigm shift in approach, attitude, and the design firm's economic model, but that doing so is an ethical obligation.Shoemaker's mixed-methods research study, described in Making the Case for Evidence-Based Design in Healthcare: A Descriptive Case Study of Organizational Decision Making, addresses a critical issue: the impact of healthcare leaders' and providers' decision-making actions. Features that contribute to patient and staff safety, functionality, and well-being are addressed in this context in relation to establishing policy and identifying criteria that will form the basis of facility design and operations. Shoemaker's inquiry highlights the impact of leadership style and groupthink on design decisions that have human, environmental, and fiscal implications into the future. Most importantly, Shoemaker provides a framework and protocols for evaluating the influence of healthcare leaders' and providers' decisions relative to EBD concepts.Trzpuc and Martin's exploratory study focuses on the caregivers in the healthcare environment. …

Faculty Perceptions regarding Research: Are We on the Right Track?

Although research has been a topic of discussion for the past few decades within the academy, how interior design educators view research has not been examined. The purpose of this investigation was to survey interior design faculty who are members of the Interior Design Educators Council (IDEC) to determine (1) their definitions of research and programming, (2) their perceived value of research in interior design practice and education, (3) their perceptions of who should conduct research, (4) the degree to which they are engaging in research, and (5) how they are incorporating research into the classroom. Sixty–five faculty members responded to the online survey that consisted of three open–ended questions, 20 questions using a Likert Scale, and questions documenting demographic information. The results indicated that the faculty who responded did not have a working definition of research or programming, and a number of faculty members did not clearly understand the difference between the two. Although 27% of the sample responded that research involved discovery or moved the field forward, another 20% defined research solely as information gathering. The educators in this study valued research, and 80% believed that research findings provide useful information to the profession. Yet, many of the subjects in this study were unclear on whether interior design educators, practitioners, or specialists in other fields should be conducting interior design research. The majority of subjects valued what research could bring to the student during the design process, yet there was hesitation on whether undergraduate students should be taking research–related coursework.

The State of Environmentally Sustainable Interior Design Practice

Problem statement: Research that investigates how interior designers use environmentally sustainable interior design criteria in their design solutions has not been done. To provide a base to develop education strategies for sustainable interior design, this study examined the state of environmentally sustainable interior design practice. Approach: A national, Internet-based survey of interior design practitioners was conducted. To collect data, the random sample of US interior design practitioners was drawn from the American Society of Interior Designers membership list. Environmentally sustainable interior design practice was defined by three factors: Global sustainable interior design, indoor environmental quality and interior materials. For each statement about environmentally sustainable interior design practice, respondents were asked to rate three dimensions: frequency of application, importance to the designer’s firm and importance to the designer. Descriptive statistical analysis focused on the state of environmentally sustainable interior design practice. Results: Every statement to measure environmentally sustainable interior design practice showed the highest mean score in the category of importance to the designer and the lowest mean score in the category of frequency of application. Important to designer’s firm ratings were always between these two extremes. Use of sustainable interior materials was identified as a less frequently applied component of environmentally sustainable interior design than indoor environmental quality. Conclusion/Recommendations: The application of environmentally sustainable interior design practice did not reach the same level as its perceived importance. Teaching methods that improve environmentally sustainable interior design practice and an understanding of the life cycle impact of interior materials are needed.

Rethinking Inside the Box:

This discussion paper describes key findings from the international IFS (Interiors Forum Scotland) conference, ‘Thinking Inside the Box’, held at The Lighthouse, Scotland’s Centre for Architecture, Design and the City in March 2007. In conjunction with an historical overview of interior design education in the UK, the authors describe the intention behind the conference, outlining its origins, aims and ambitions. The Interior Forum Scotland’s lead role within the UK sector is discussed, as is its collaboration with the UK wide Interior Educators Council. Similarly, the IFS, in its first conference, is positioned against more established international interior design research communities, such as IDEA, (Interior Design / Interior Architecture Educators Association), amongst others. The authors speculate on the issues and themes highlighted by an international audience of interior design educators, researchers, authors and practitioners, and consider the future directions, challenges and issues driving interior design thinking internationally and design generally, and in particular, how these may influence the independent Scottish interior design sector. The paper and conference underpins interior design as an exceptionally broad and increasingly self confident spatial field, albeit one which operates within distinct interior frequencies from decoration to architecture. It also examines the ways in which interior design educators, organisations and practitioners are reclaiming, refining and redefining this field. Interior design’s initial co- architectural / pro-decorative role is placed into context against new environmental territories and new challenges.