Exploring designers’ cognitive abilities in the concept product design phase through traditional and digitally-mediated design environments

Abstract This study explores design strategies that designers adapt in different design environments and assesses cognitive load associated with acquiring, comprehending, and implementing strategies in concept product design phase. The findings from qualitative and quantitative analyses show that the traditional design environment exhibits a greater intrinsic load, thereby fostering a greater diversity of ideas, design strategies, and solutions. The digitally-mediated design environment demonstrates extraneous load, resulting in a tendency towards similarity in ideas, design strategies, and solutions.