Perceptual Learning for Promoting Design Thinking in Space Design Education

The application of real-time visualization and virtual reality (VR) technology was examined to promote students’ design thinking in space design education. Learning space design, such as architecture and interior design, takes a series of iterations of training to nurture their imagination of how to translate their idea into a physical format. While design thinking refers to ideating, prototyping, testing, and implementing, educational methods for space design linearly provide students with an opportunity by employing this procedure. Traditionally, academic tools for space design education have been drawing, model making, and, recently, computer rendering. However, these methods differ from prototyping in design thinking regarding physical experience. It lacks the problem-finding, and cannot articulate the feedback system. Thus, this study was carried out to implement perceptual learning and training by data processing via acquired visual experience. With real-time visualization and VR technologies, spatial design prototypes were developed virtually. After the perceptual learning, the result evaluation was carried out with a qualitative analysis of the participants and a quantitative analysis of pre-course and after-course questionnaires. Afterward, the teaching experience of perceptual learning and findings were discussed.