Two functions of analogical reasoning in design: a cognitive-psychology approach

On the basis of data collected in three empirical studies conducted on industrial designers, this paper identifies two different types of ‘spontaneous’ use of analogy in design. Focus is on the first ‘stages’ of analogical reasoning, i.e. construction of a target representation, and search and retrieval of a source. At the action-execution level, analogies are used in order to solve the current design problem; at the action-management level, in order to make the action-execution process cognitively more economical. Differences between the uses concern their dependence on the routine character of the task, the distance between target and source, and their link with creativity and reuse (or case-based reasoning).