Thesis
Diversity in the mind’s eye: defining the mental imagery experience in engineering design
- Creator
- Rights statement
- Awarding institution
- University of Strathclyde
- Date of award
- 2026
- Thesis identifier
- T18048
- Person Identifier (Local)
- 202168699
- Qualification Level
- Qualification Name
- Department, School or Faculty
- Abstract
- The phenomenon of mental imagery is a complex experience to define, with it occurring entirely within an individual’s mind, if it occurs at all. Within the field of engineering design, there is a notable absence of research and understanding on how the experience of mental imagery presents during an engineering designer’s design process, with no current definition of the experience existing. The research in this thesis considers the elements of the mental imagery experience within the context of engineering design. It presents evidence of a diverse experience, a shared definition and language, and methods for implementing this knowledge into educational settings: the Experience of Visual Imagery in Design questionnaire, which proposes a new method for measuring mental imagery in engineering designers, and the Sit on Your Hands team concept generation method which encourages innovation through design by discussion alone. The research primarily considered the experiences of novice engineering designers, limiting external influences on the designers’ cognition. During the research, knowledge expansion work was undertaken to gain insight into the elements of mental imagery, and the impact in both novice and experienced designers. This was followed by the development of a framework for researching mental imagery in design cognition, categorising the elements of mental imagery into three key conceptual viewpoints: imagery modalities, dimensions of imagery ability, and imagery processes. To provide evidence for the diverse experience of mental imagery in novice engineering designers, two research studies were undertaken. Using statistical analysis, the mental imagery and design education study found and investigated a correlation between mental imagery vividness reports and engineering design module attainment, with analysis indicating that higher levels of imagery vividness equate to lower module attainment on average. The visual imagery in the design process study used protocol analysis to investigate individual novice engineering designer’s mental imagery during the design process. Experience maps and Profiles of Imaging Designers were developed resulting in the documentation of a diverse mental imagery experience in engineering design, and a proposed definition.
- Advisor / supervisor
- Brisco, Ross
Relations
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PDF of Thesis T18048 | 2026-08-03 | Public | Download |