
59
© 2010 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC
Chapter 5
Studying Software
Design Cognition
Jeff Wai Tak Kan
Independent Design Researcher
John Gero
Krasnow Institute for Advanced Study
5.1 INTRODUCTION
What do soware designers do when they design? While there have been many studies of
soware designers, few if any have focused on their design cognition—the cognitive activi-
ties while they design. How does a team of soware designers expend their cognitive eort
during a design session? is chapter addresses this question by presenting a case study of
a team of soware designers where their cognitive eort is measured and analyzed.
Over the past three decades ...