Cognitive Operations and Patterns in Remote Design Collaboration: A Protocol Study

While remote Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW) offers unprecedented opportunities for collaboration and innovation, it also posts unique challenges in shaping design team cognition (DTC). To address this knowledge gap in understanding DTC during remote teamwork, this research introduces a new coding scheme and conducts protocol analysis on nine online design sessions. The findings of this study focus on examining the dynamics of design operations and patterns during remote teamwork, highlighting the interconnected nature of the three cognitive dimensions – 'representation' (R), 'communication' (C), and 'allocation' (A) – in the R-C-A framework. The study demonstrates that the R-C-A framework offers a valuable approach to examining cognitive operations and patterns in remote design collaboration. Furthermore, the insights gained from this research hold the potential to enrich and optimise design collaboration in remote CSCW, thereby contributing to advancements in design practice and education.