bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Research in an Undergraduate Interior Design Curriculum
Authors: Franklin Evelyn M. , Erickson Ann
Published: June 2008

Research is an important component of the design process and should be incorporated into undergraduate interior design curricula. As potential designers, students need to become cognizant of the necessity of systematically seeking information for design solutions and to increase their awareness of the behavioral impact of design through observation.

This article describes an undergraduate research experience which focused upon the development of a team research project using a simulated environment as the research laboratory.

Because of the success of this project it became the nucleus of a required research course for interior design majors in which students work with a variety of research methods and projects. The goals of the course are to develop an understanding of the relationship between research and the practice of interior design; to develop research skills; to design, develop and implement research projects utilizing primary sources; and to become acquainted with the body of research applicable to interior design.

The ultimate goal for incorporation of research methodologies at the undergraduate level is to establish a respect and understanding for research that students will carry into their professional activities.
Interior Design: A Dynamic Systems View
Authors: Hasell Mary Joyce , Benhamou Reed
Published: June 2008

This paper explores both professional and academic aspects of interior design and expands their parameters beyond style, function, objects, spaces, and finishes. It describes a dynamic systems view of interior design, incorporating criteria that warrant consideration when designing spaces for both living systems, as defined by human activity, and artifacts. It also identifies elements of a comprehensive approach so that abstract thought and speculation may be directed beyond specific application, and generalizable theories become a possibility. With this paradigm, research about the interaction between human behavior and artifacts can be the basis for building a strong image for interior design, giving it a clearly articulated purpose.
Selecting Interior Materials for Medical Treatment Settings: A Pragmatic Approach
Authors: Standley Jo
Published: June 2008

When interior materials are chosen by strict performance criteria, the products themselves are often thought to limit design opportunities. This is a truism frequently applied to medical facility design. A case study is presented to demonstrate how a particular methodology, based upon a materials research approach, was used to set criteria and choose interior materials for a renal services center. The approach was a pragmatic one. Interior materials were selected, tested, and evaluated based upon the expertise of both medical staff and designers. This process strengthened, rather than restricted, the three–dimensional design of a functional and appropriate treatment setting.
A Study of Color Planning Criteria Used by Noted Designers
Authors: Portillo Margaret , Dohr Joy H.
Published: June 2008

This study was conducted to identify color planning criteria that noted designers reported using in textile, sig–nage, interior, and architecture projects. The national sample consisted of designers (n = 41) who were nominated as either accomplished colorists (n = 23) or comparably accomplished generalists (n = 18). Data were collected through an in–person interview regarding a self–selected project and a standardized color acuity test. Potential sources of variation in color acuity between the colorists and generalists were examined. No statistically significant differences were found between groups, but the total sample scored significantly better on hue discrimination when compared to the normative adult mean.

Primary findings showed that noted designers employed five categories of criteria in the design process: compositional to create unity or emphasis, or to manipulate space and form with color; symbolic to express design concepts with color; behavioral to address activity needs with color; preferential to consider individual color preferences or market trends; and pragmatic to support maintenance needs and preconditions with color. Over half of the sample (52 percent) used two or more color categories per project, and exploratory analyses revealed that colorists used compositional color criteria more frequently than generalists. The results provided a basis for formulating a framework of color planning.
Computer Applications in Interior Design Education and Practice
Authors: Curry Zane D. , Shroyer JoAnn , Gentry Marie
Published: June 2008

This study surveyed professional members of the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) and Institute of Business Designers (IBD) and compared competencies desired by practicing interior designers with the computer competencies required by the Foundation for Interior Design Education Research (FIDER) first professional–level degree–accredited programs. The study also surveyed FIDER–accredited programs regarding instruction in computer applications.

Mailed questionnaires to 800 randomly selected ASID and IBD members included questions concerning size of firm, type of practice, educational background, computer applications, and attitudes toward the use of computers in the future of the interior design industry. A separate questionnaire addressing pedagogical methods, media, and requirements was mailed to representatives of the first professional–level degree programs accredited by FIDER.

Although data indicate that practicing interior designers require an awareness level of student achievement for computer applications, more agree than disagree that interior design graduates should possess a competency in computer applications. The majority of FIDER–accredited programs required a level of student achievement for computer systems higher than the awareness level recommended in the FIDER standards and guidelines.

FIDER–accredited programs, as a whole, currently meet entry–level computer skill requirements, but professional interior designers predict that knowledge of computer applications will be essential in the future. Therefore, educators should continually evaluate curricula, methods, and media to stay abreast of industry standards, and FIDER should reexamine the standards and guidelines for determining computer competencies.
AIDS Hospice Unit: Design Criteria and Prototypes
Authors: Chambers Scott , Guerin Denise A.
Published: June 2008

ISSUE: Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is spreading throughout society at an ever–increasing rate. As greater numbers of people become ill, the need for high–quality health care increases proportionately, as does the need for high–quality health care environments. The hospice program enhances the life of the terminally ill by providing material and emotional support for the patient, family, and friends. It is important to design hospices for AIDS patients that will allow full implementation of the hospice philosophy.

APPLICATION: The design process used in this study exemplifies the approach used by design professionals when addressing a new problem. Identification and dissemination of such new information would provide interior design with a significant body of knowledge from which to develop creative solutions.

GOAL: The goals of this study were to identify design criteria and develop prototypes for required spaces within an AIDS hospice unit as well as exemplify the design process.

DESCRIPTION: The researchers analyzed the literature on AIDS and other long–term illnesses; the design of health care facilities; the hospice philosophy; and design of environments for hospices and special needs populations. Upon completion of the analysis of literature, a set of design criteria was developed to aid the design community in planning hospice unit spaces for people with AIDS (PWAs). The design criteria were developed based on the human ecosystem theory, identifying criteria in the natural, social, and designed environments. The design criteria were applied to the spaces commonly required by a hospice to assist functioning of the resident, nurses, family, and friends. Prototypes of hospice units were then developed.

CONCLUSION: These design criteria and prototype drawings provide guidelines to achieve a superior quality of life for all people using an AIDS hospice unit.
Using Learning Contracts to Foster Professional Initiative and Lifelong Learning
Authors: Knowles Lyn Everett
Published: June 2008

Issue

This article suggests using the instructional method of contract learning in interior design programs to prepare students for their role as professional designers.

Goal

The goal of contract learning is to develop students into self–directed learners. The most significant benefits of using this method are flexibility of teaching and learning styles.

Application

Reorganizing the role of faculty members from teachers to resource persons enables them to encourage students to work with the newest technology and specific design problems without having to be experts on every detail. It also offers ways to encourage independence on the part of the students, thus enabling faculty to work with students who have special needs, interests, or different skill levels.

Description

Critical elements of an effective learning contract include deciding what to learn, how to learn it, how long it will take, and how it will be evaluated. The primary difference between this learning method and traditional methods is that the student, rather than the teacher, makes these decisions.

Conclusion

Using learning contracts involves a change from traditional teacher–centered instruction to student–centered instruction, focusing on the individual needs of the student. The most important result is that the use of contracts prepares students for lifelong learning, which is necessary for professional designers throughout their careers.
Computer Aided Design Training Methods in Interior Design Professional Practice
Authors: Waxman Lisa K. , Zhang Hong
Published: June 2008

Objective

The purposes of this study were to investigate computer aided design (CAD) training methods chosen by interior design professionals and to gather general information on CAD use by interior designers.

Research Design

A questionnaire was sent to 500 randomly selected members of the Institute of Business Designers (IBD) in December of 1993. The primary focus of the questionnaire was on CAD training methods used by interior design professionals, with questions relating to the hiring of new employees, training of existing employees, and the educational background of employees. In addition, the questionnaire asked general questions, including the number of employees, the type of work done by the firm, the years of experience using CAD, the computer software used, and the methods of updating the CAD system.

Analysis

Preferences in CAD training methods and usage were tabulated and are reported using frequency percentages.

Key Findings

Of the 259 valid respondents, 71% used CAD for design and drafting. The most common training methods included: training by software vendors, assistance from previously trained employees of the firm, and self–directed teaching using a manual or tutorials. Vendors played a very important role in the training of the first CAD user as well as those trained at a later date. In addition, 40% of firms using CAD for the first time hired a designer with existing CAD skills. Fifty–two percent of firms with previously trained CAD professionals used these people to train other members of the firm.

Conclusion

This research can be helpful to professionals searching for ways to approach the training of designers on CAD. In addition, educators and students can benefit by becoming more aware of the use of CAD and CAD training methods in the professional world.
The Place of Interior Design in K–12 Education and the Built Environment Education Movement
Authors: Portillo Margaret , Rey–Barreau Joseph A.
Published: June 2008

Issue

Built environment education presents a unique opportunity for interior design to contribute to the quality of K–12 education in the United States. A need exists for substantive programs and curricula that promote a deeper understanding of the importance of interior design. While the field of architecture has spearheaded the majority of K–12 built environment initiatives, interior design has remained largely absent from this effort.

Goal

The place of interior design in built environment education needs to be established by emphasizing its own uniqueness in relation to allied disciplines.

Application

Emphasizing interior design concepts in built environment education can assist in integrating problem–solving skills and academic knowledge through interior design.

Description

Opportunities for interior design to advance built environment education are discussed.

Conclusion

Clearly presenting interior design as a profession and a unique entity of the built environment requires coordinated effort by the interior design community. This will reap many benefits for the future of the profession.
Validating a Building Prototype: A Post–Occupancy Evaluation of a Women's Medical Center
Authors: Shepley Mardelle McCuskey , Bryant Cynthia , Frohman Bobbie
Published: June 2008

Objective

The validity of new building prototypes must be confirmed to support the design process for comparable future projects. This project involved a post–occupancy study at a new women's health center that provides single–room (labor, delivery, recovery, postpartum [LDRP]) maternity care. The evaluation had three objectives: (a) to test whether the intentions of the designers were effectively executed, (b) to provide feedback to the hospital about the new facility, and (c) to provide design guidelines.

Research Design

Questionnaire, interview, and behavior mapping methodologies were utilized to collect data for this study.

Analysis

Issues–oriented questions were analyzed to address design features such as patient–centered LDRPs and an open plan neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Behavior mapping studies were analyzed to examine nursing station use and staff/family behavior in the NICU.

Key Findings

The LDRP unit was reviewed favorably, although specific improvements were suggested, such as providing footwall storage in the patient rooms and re–examining the use of decentralized nurse stations. The open plan NICU was also positively received by staff. Design guidelines were developed.

Conclusion

Most of the design decisions were appropriate and can be emulated safely with a few exceptions. The LDRP model was well–received by staff with minor modifications suggested. Decentralized nursing was most effective when it was combined with a central staff gathering place. Maximizing storage at the baby stations in the NICU will permit staff to spend more time with infant patients.
Developing Students’ Awareness of Universal Design
Authors: Marshall–Baker Anna , Weidegreen Eric A.
Published: June 2008

Issue

Interior designers require an understanding of universal design as a way of thinking rather than a code check for accessibility. Creating this awareness may be most effective at the introductory level with beginning design students.

Goal

The goal was to broaden inferior design students’ awareness of their daily environments and the range of abilities of all people by introducing concepts of universal design as basic, core information in foundation courses.

Application

Repeatedly altering students’ abilities and using clients with particular needs promoted an understanding of universal design through experiential learning, a form of learning that promotes self–reliant, capable students.

Description

Introducing concepts of universal design into existing basic design projects fostered students’ awareness of the range of human abilities within a framework of basic design without increasing teaching workloads. In an open–ended questionnaire, students described their understanding of universal design and identified projects that were most effective in the development of a sense of universal design.

Conclusion

Students’ projects and results of the questionnaires indicated sensitivity to the range of human abilities and knowledge of accessibility in daily environments. Projects that were most effective in developing a sense of universal design involved practice and experience.
Strategic Planning for Interior Design Education: Effective Development in Conditions of Resource Decline
Authors: Gates Gordon S. , Ali Yousri K.
Published: June 2008

Issue

Financial problems facing postsecondary institutions present implications for the future direction of interior design education.

Goal

This report identifies and proposes how interior design programs can prepare to meet the challenges presented in an environment of declining resources.

Application

Strategic planning for conditions of resource decline will place interior design in a better position to secure resources needed to achieve the healthy, valuable, and creative profession envisioned for the future.

Description

Literature on retrenchment in postsecondary education and interior design is reviewed to highlight important issues.

Conclusion

Three positions are suggested: (a) define a core that contributes to the well being of society through advancing scientific and aesthetic knowledge, (b) strengthen communication and participation within and outside the university and discipline, and (c) enhance educational and program linkages between interior design and appropriate related disciplines.
Learning to Write and Diagram, Writing and Diagramming to Learn
Authors: Schwarz Benyamin
Published: June 2008

Issue

Interior design, which aspires to elevate the individual's experience of space, involves application of theories and principles governing the definition and ordering of space. Learning these theoretical design principles is an essential part of the interior design curriculum. To become informed interior designers, students need a solid theoretical base, anchored in historical and spatial analysis, that can intelligibly render the relationships between problems and their solutions.

Goal

The use of theory helps designers plan, predict, and create from a knowledge base. The desired result is to assist students acquiring this foundation to generate ideas for designing interior spaces and use informed, critical thinking to evaluate and select from those ideas.

Application

A diagram is an image that explains rather than represents the basic arrangements and relations of the organizational elements in a specific environment. Combining the diagramming of interior spaces with analytic, intensive writing experiences serves as a model for learning design principles. The unique efficacy of the two teaching strategies is due to their correspondence to powerful learning techniques that involve analysis as well as synthesis.

Description

Theoretical design principles such as contrast, proportion and scale, symmetry and balance, and containment are introduced in lectures and illustrated through slide presentations of significant spaces. Students create collage diagrams of the spaces and complete writing assignments. The diagrams and written compositions are reviewed and discussed in a weekly studio–lab for revision and reinforcement.

Conclusions

As students in this course write about and diagram interior spaces, they develop their writing and diagramming skills and deepen their understanding of design theory principles. Students of interior design are introduced to seminal works in their field, taught to break down interior space into its component parts to understand its organizational structure, enabled to put the parts together to form a new graphic representation of the whole, and assisted in judging the value of a physical setting for a given purpose based on definite criteria.
Toward a Critical Approach to the History of Interiors
Authors: Beecher Mary Anne
Published: June 2008

This article explores the historiography of the related fields of study that generate the body of knowledge from which the history of interiors is drawn. By comparing the development of methods used to articulate a history of art, architecture, and material culture, an evolution that parallels the critical process is revealed and new pedagogical possibilities are suggested for teaching history.

The methods associated with historical research and teaching throughout the 20th century parallel the critical process of description, analysis, and interpretation. Early attempts to identify that which is of value within these histories focused on description and the development of stylistic classifications for artistic and architectural expression. The 2nd and 3rd phases of methodological development in related disciplines complete the critical process by creating an understanding of the place of an object within a broader context to ascertain its significance.

The linear construction of history often promoted by interior design texts potentially limits students’ abilities to understand the connection between the creative processes used in design activity and those used to study the past. Accepting the theories of meaning found in current methodologies of scholarship used in related fields of history and cultural studies requires an expansion of the perceived boundaries for history. In the end, this could advance the role of the history of interiors as a major contributor to students’ creative processes.
A Thematic Approach to Teaching Design History in a Multicultural Setting
Authors: Brandt Beverly Kay
Published: June 2008

Reflective of the impact that a multicultural student body has had on my evolving philosophy of teaching interior design, this article presents the argument to switch from a teaching approach that is primarily chronological, geographical, and stylistic to one that is thematic. This nontraditional reorganization of a course on the history of decorative arts deviates from a linear and progressive format in favor of stressing global awareness, regional sensitivity, multiculturalism, and critical thinking. It seeks to sketch out the “big picture,” ask “big questions,” and make connections among students in diverse majors or as an elective.

The article outlines the opportunities that a thematic format offers students in a studio–based curriculum, while pointing out its relevance to nonmajors across campus. The discussion does not seek to prove the proposed format's effectiveness; rather, it is intended to be a thought–provoking case study in progress.
Exploring Writing–To–Learn in Design
Authors: Guerin Denise A. , Olson Michael Jon , Zborowsky Theresa , Lim Youngsook
Published: June 2008

Issue

Of the various communication methods used by interior designers, interior design students focus on visual presentation methods. Written materials accompany design solutions, but classroom emphasis is seldom placed on articulate writing in design.

Goal

The goal of the project was to redesign DHA 1101 Introduction to the Designed Environment to improve students’ writing and learning. The research question was: Did the changes in the writing aspects of this course result in an improvement in students’ learning or in their ability to articulate key theoretical concepts?

Application

A quasi–experimental method that reflected a pretest, treatment, posttest strategy is used to explore writing–to–learn in design. Student learning from two groups, a control group and an experimental group, was compared to determine if writing–to–learn strategies influenced their ability to articulate theoretical constructs. The treatment consisted of revised writing assignments and increased class time devoted to writing.

Description

A writing assignment from each group was scored by trained raters to identify a score for various components of the assignment as well as overall writing skill. Findings showed that the experimental group showed significant increases on overall learning; ability to articulate key concepts of a theoretical framework; writing skills; and the combined effects of final exam, course grade, and paper grade.

Conclusion

Writing–to–learn strategies employed in this study increased students'learning of important course concepts as well as increased their abilities to articulate those concepts. The value of this study lies in the implications for refined methodology for studies of this nature as well as the documentation of strategies that may increase writing–to–learn in design.
Integration of Student Owned Computers into the Design Curriculum: Policy, Issues, and Experience
Authors: Case F. Duncan , Matthews Carl
Published: June 2008

Issue

Incorporation of computing into design practice increases the need for interior design programs to integrate this technology into their curricula.

Goal

Prepare students to understand the ways in which information technology can be used in design and teach them how to use computers for design problem solving, in the classroom and in professional practice.

Application

This report discusses one program's approach to integrating computers into their curriculum: requiring student purchase of laptop computers upon entering the third year of the curriculum and using computer–aided design (CAD) modeling programs as a central element in upper–level design studios. In adopting this policy, decisions were made about how computers would be integrated into the curriculum, how computing resources were to be funded, and what infrastructure support was required.

Description

Three years of experience with this policy by both students and faculty are reviewed. Topics addressed are (1) the original policy and subsequent changes, (2) the computer infrastructure created by the college to support this policy, (3) faculty and student reactions to the policy, and (4) issues and implications of the policy. Surveys of students taken in 1995 and 1997 provide comparative information on changes in student perceptions over time. A survey of recent computer trained graduates provides information on job market experience and reception of these skills in professional practice.

Conclusion

Recent graduates support the policy and report that it helped in their securing employment. Using CAD modeling programs especially helped the 3D visualization of design problems. Maintaining an adequate infrastructure of support has been a continuing source of frustration for both students and faculty.
Interior Design Dissertrations, Theses, and Creative Projects
Authors: DeLaski–Smith Deborah
Published: June 2008

Graduate students’ work is an important resource in building the body of knowledge for the profession of Interior Design. To develop an awareness of the research being conducted at the graduate level in design programs, the following list was compiled by the Interior Design Educators Council (IDEC) Graduate Education Network.

Each year a list of recently completed dissertations, theses, and creative projects is compiled and submitted for publication in the Journal of Interior Design. Thank you to the faculty who responded to the network's request. If you were not contacted, please let the IDEC office know so your name can be added to the list of contact persons for next year. The present list represents submissions for the 1997/1998 academic year and those from 1996 that had not been previously listed.
A Strategic Story of using Computer Technology: The EPA Project by HOK
Authors: McLain–Kark Joan
Published: June 2008

Interior design researchers study computer technology in order to understand its impact on design processes and education. Yet, whether the use of the computer has made interior designers better at improving the life of users remains to be seen. The purpose of this research is to examine the use of technology in design through a narrative case, the EPA project by Hellmuth, Obata, and Kassabaum (HOK), to offer insights into how computers can be used to make a design compatible with user needs. Three indivdiuals involved with the EPA project were interviewed and audiotaped regarding the design and computer modeling of the labs. The transcripts were subsequently analyzed for dominant themes. The researcher developed a narrative using a structure established by the FIDER Research Council. The results indicate that repeated involvement of the scientists in the design process through evaluation via the walk–through animation and other means resulted in a positive evaluation. The case provides insights on how computer technology can be optimized to improve the design for end–users. Using the EPA story and present trends in computer technology as a foundation, the article presents a scenario to help designers consider ways for integrating the latest computer modeling technology into their practice.
Higher Education Classroom Fail to Meet Needs of Faculty and Students
Authors: Scott–Webber Lennie , Marini Michele , Abraham Jane
Published: June 2008

Objectives

The objectives of this study were (1) to determine differences between faculty and student opinions about university classrooms when the User's Environmental Interaction Framework (UEIF) model's quadrants were considered together, (2) to determine the positive, negative, and different effects between these populations within each UEIF quadrant, and (3) to determine faculty and student use.

Research Design

The User's Environmental Framework (UEIF) guided the research at a large university. This framework has four quadrants: environmental/value dimensions, and behavioral/internal responses, prox–emics concepts, and interactional influences. The study had two parts: (1) a 48–question questionnaire, and (2) behavioral observations surveying both faculty and students (120 subjects) who used 15 general purpose classrooms.

Analysis

Stepwise Discriminant Analysis determined which subset of questions best separates student from faculty responses. Canonical Discriminant Analysis further explained relationships.

Key Findings

Return rate was 67% and four observations of each classroom were conducted. Faculty and students agreed on the majority of the items. Subjects felt lighting, air quality, maintenance, equipment, and general comfort were adequate. There was a lack of commitment to the classrooms and subjects had little desire to stay in these rooms. Faculty and students disagreed on 10 questions. Faculty felt the classrooms did not convey a positive experience relating to noise control, seating flexibility, and lacked provision for social interaction. Students found signage inadequate and felt classrooms were uninspiring, nonanticipatory, and lacking symbolic meaning. Behavioral observations supported these concerns.

Conclusion

Results indicate that general purpose classrooms on this campus do not meet all needs of faculty or students. Problem areas can be addressed through thoughtful knowledge–based interior design solutions.
Omitted, Devalued, Ignored: Reevaluating the Historical Interpretation of Women in the Interior Design Profession
Authors: Turpin John C.
Published: June 2008

This paper seeks to determine whether or not current history of interior design publications are flawed by embedded gender discrimination, thus devaluing the role of women in the develop ment of the interior design profession. In order to reveal the extent to which women's achievements are marginalized, devalued or ignored, five texts that incorporate information on the history of the interior design profession will be analyzed using methods structured in feminist scholarship. According to DuBois et al. (1985), the most common methods by which an author reveals gender discrimination include (1) the omission of women from the narrative, (2) the different value assigned to women's accomplishments as a result of being viewed under masculine criteria, (3) the perpetuation of gender stereotyping, and (4) the language by which the subjects are described.

The current literature on the history of the interior design profession is replete with evidence of gender discrimination. Women in the discipline of interior design are presented as being insignificant in the development of the profession. Instead, a masculine narrative of architects identifies a field dominated by women in number, but by men in perceived significance. In order to establish and understand the roots of interior design, the profession must add a feminine perspective on research. This in turn should assist interior design scholars in the development of a theoretical framework that acknowledges and disseminates the contributions of the early decorators. Otherwise, female interior design pioneers will continue to fall into anonymity.
Sense of Place in the Workplace: The Relationship between Personal Objects and Job Satisfaction and Motivation
Authors: Miller Nancy G. , Erickson Ann , Yust Becky Love
Published: June 2008

This study explored the nature of sense of place and how it might function for the workplace, developed and tested a survey instrument to measure sense of place in the workplace, and determined what relationship existed between that sense of place and the level of job satisfaction and motivation. Desk–bound employees completed a questionnaire recording opinions, attitudes, and physical characteristics of their workplaces and themselves.

Descriptive features of the work places were recorded as frequencies. Sense of place was operationalized to include comfort, control, noise, privacy, and personalization in the workplace. Social interaction, time spent at work, sense of place, and motivation were identified as intervening variables. Job satisfaction was the dependent variable. The data was collapsed by factor analysis, indexes were formed, and correlations calculated within and between indexes.

Employees who displayed work–related objects were positively correlated to motivation. Positive correlations between job satisfaction and motivation were demonstrated by display of personal objects and the ability to choose and arrange work area furnishings.

Sense of place is an amorphous concept that can be adapted to interior settings. It can be measured by combining a variety of factors in the workplace. Because sense of place in the workplace is significantly related to job satisfaction and motivation, designers and their clients must evaluate the impact of allowing the employee to establish sense of place in the workplace.
A Model for Integrating Culture–Based Issues in Creative Thinking and Problem Solving in Design Studios
Authors: Asojo Abimbola O.
Published: June 2008

Design like every other field is influenced by cultural forces. However, current design education is dominated by Eurocentric cultures and thus ignores non–Western cultures. The 2000 U.S. Census indicates ethnic minorities make up 24.9% of the population, representing a 1 3.5% and 12.4% increase from ethnic minority population statistics of 1960 and 1970 census respectively (U.S. Bureau of the Census). Likewise, design schools are also becoming more culturally diverse. This trend indicates an increasing need for studies that introduce diverse perspectives in design education. The question posed to the designer is how is cultural heritage reflected in design?

This report presents a model that applies inclusion, contribution, and transformational approaches to help students integrate culture–based issues into interior design projects. In the inclusion and contribution approaches, students are presented precedents from non–Western environments in order to determine the relationship of cultural elements to new building types and important issues that inform design. The transformational approach uses non–Western precedents as a basis for discussing design elements and principles, and exploring culture–based design. Studio projects using these approaches expose students and educators to culture–based design alternatives, thus raising their awareness and strengthening abilities to successfully design for non–Western cultures.
Control of Environmental Lighting and Its Effects on Behaviors of the Alzheimer's Type
Authors: Garce Melinda La
Published: June 2008

The study investigates environmental lighting interventions designed to control the natural daylight effects of the setting sun and resultant behavior change. The purpose of this study was to determine if the frequency of disruptive behaviors of the Alzheimer's type that are defined across the literature to include wandering, anxiousness, combativeness, negative verbalizations, pilfering/hoarding, inappropriate sexual behavior, inappropriate emotional behavior, attention seeking, repetitive statements, and behaviors that are apparently precipitated and/or intensified by the effects of the setting sun i.e., changes in color, angles, and intensity of daylight, can be altered by environmental lighting interventions designed to control the daylight effects of the setting sun.

This learning/practice partnership brought together the diverse expertise of research team members and provided new ways of examining research questions. Subjects were evaluated by medical practitioners to determine the probable presence of Alzheimer's disease. Disruptive behaviors were identified by trained observers reviewing 100 hours of videotaped observation, and videotaped observations of the subjects continued as subjects rotated monthly for four months between two apparently identical environments–one controlled and one experimental using environmental lighting interventions. Trained observers made double blind observation of subjects and recorded the frequency of disruptive behaviors on behavior observation checksheets. Tabulations of the disruptive behaviors were made, and percentage of change was calculated.

A drop of 41% in the disruptive behaviors of subjects, while in the experimental environment, was demonstrated in the first rotation cycle, and an 11 % drop in disruptive behaviors was found in a second cycle. Inter–rater reliability across all tapes was 70%. Individuals exhibiting the highest frequencies of disruptive behaviors also demonstrated the most dramatic decreases in these behaviors while in the experimental environment. Environmental lighting interventions designed for this study appear to lessen the detrimental behavioral| effects of the setting sun on the behaviors of individuals with Alzheimer's disease.
Distance Distortion: A Comparison of Real World and Computer Animated Environments
Authors: North H. J. , Miller R. J.
Published: June 2008

The overall goal of this study was to examine the effectiveness of computer animated spaces within the context of design professions, with particular attention to potential distortions of perceived distance that such animations might produce. Three questions were addressed: 1| Do observers accurately perceive the magnitude of distance represented in animated displays? 2) Does the manner in which animated space is divided affect the magnitudes of the distances perceived? 3) Are there differences between male and female observers in such accuracy?

Participants were 61 undergraduate psychology students at Washington State University. Computer animations provided participants seven “virtual walks” through computer generated corridors, some of which were divided into segments by open portals or doors. Following each virtual walk, participants were led to a nearby corridor and asked to walk a distance they perceived to be equal to the virtual walk they had just experienced at the computer.

Analysis of variance, with a posteriori Fisher LSD tests, showed that computer represented distances were consistently underestimated by both males and females, with females underestimating the distances to a significantly greater degree than males. The presence or number of segments present in the animated spaces had no significant effect on distance estimates.

These findings suggest that there may be important limitations in the extent to which computer animations represent distance for observers of both sexes, and that these limitations may be even more pronounced for females than for males. The manner in which the virtual spaces were segmented did not exert a consistent influence on the perception of distance; however, the manner in which virtual spaces are divided and the kind of visual features that are used to indicate such divisions merits further study.
Residential Design Implications of Consumers’ Recycling Behaviors
Authors: Macy Sharon , Thompson Jo Ann Asher
Published: June 2008

Each year landfills receive a growing amount of waste that could be eliminated by recycling practices supported through the design of kitchens. This study had three objectives: (a) to examine residential design implications for incorporating recycling within the home, (b) to examine consumer's feelings of environmental altruism and their behaviors toward recycling within the context of situational conditions within the home, and (c) to examine consumer's views regarding the convenience of their home's recycling facilities. The primary research instrument was a survey of consumer behaviors and attitudes toward recycling. Certified Kitchen Designers provided client names for whom they had designed a kitchen as part of a remodel or new home construction within the last five years. Questionnaires were mailed to 271 households with a 58.2% response rate achieved. Five areas of information were addressed in the survey: sociode–mographics, behaviors and situational design factors, altruistic values, perceived inconvenience, and economic factors. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used for analysis with Chi–square tests used to examine relationships between variables. Results support including an area for recycling in the kitchen or a space that is directly adjacent such as an attached garage; convenience was found to be a primary factor in the recycling behaviors of highly altruistic individuals. It is important to design an environment that supports recycling. Whether recycling is convenient or not will have an influence on an individual's recycling behaviors. With environments that support recycling behaviors, consumers will increase their quantity and accuracy in recycling, which in turn could lead to an increase in attitudes toward other pro–environmental actions.
Interior Design Dissertations, Theses and Creative Projects
Authors: Leigh Katharine E.
Published: June 2008

Graduate students’ work is an important resource in building the body of knowledge for the profession of interior design. The Editorial Board compiled the following list to develop an awareness of the research being conducted at the graduate level in interior design programs and by interior design educators.

Periodically, an index of recently completed dissertations, theses, and creative projects is compiled and published in JID. Interior design programs and faculty that responded to a request for information are listed here. The present survey represents work completed between 1999 and 2003. Also included is 1998 work not previously indexed.
A Form of Affection: Sense of Place and Social Structure in the Chinese Courtyard Residence
Authors: Wang David
Published: June 2008

This paper considers the Chinese courtyard residence as a form of affection. By affection, the author means the wide range of subjective constructs—emotions, attachments, commitments of the heart—entailed in the context of living in a family. The Confucian worldview within which this courtyard residential typology flourished rendered indistinguishable the spatial–formal configurations of the courtyard home and the affections experienced within it. The significance of this convergence is as follows: the Chinese courtyard paradigm amounts to a case study for a larger theoretical discourse—namely, the question of how human subjective responses integrate with physical environments to achieve “sense of place.” The paper's conclusion extracts seven traits from the Chinese courtyard typology and posits them as characteristics for more general experiences of “sense of place.”
Empirical Design Research: Student Definitions, Perceptions, and Values
Authors: Dickinson Joan I. , Marsden John P. , Read Marilyn A.
Published: June 2008

Third and fourth year undergraduate interior design students in Colleges of Architecture or Human Sciences at three different research universities were surveyed to compare their: (1) perceived value of research in interior design practice, (2) perceptions of who should conduct research, (3) attitudes toward research in interior design education, and (4) definitions of research. A survey instrument was developed that consisted of one open–ended question and 29 questions using a Likert scale. Questions were adapted from the Chenoweth and Chidister (1983) scale that measured landscape architecture attitudes toward research, and from the Dickson and White (1993) scale administered to interior design practicing professionals. A total of 89 undergraduate students were surveyed from the three universities. The majority of the students were Caucasian (n = 79) and female (n = 84). The results indicated that, overall, students valued research for the profession regardless of their college or university affiliation. However, their definitions of research were pragmatic in nature, and they often regarded research as the gathering of information rather than the generation of new knowledge. The students were also unclear about who should be conducting interior design research. College affiliation revealed that students who were in an architecturally–based program put a higher value on research at the undergraduate level than those students housed in a College of Human Sciences; similarly, College of Architecture students had a better understanding that research advanced a profession.
An Exploratory Study of Disabled Tenants’ Level of Satisfaction under the Fair Housing Amendments Act
Authors: Johansen Tina H.
Published: June 2008

Increased awareness of the civil rights of individuals with disabilities led to the passage of several laws beginning in 1961 and culminating with the passage of the American with Disabilities Act in 1990. All these laws were aimed at improving access to public built environments and transportation. However, the Fair Housing Amendments Act (FHAA) of 1988 focused on assuring the availability of accessible multi–family dwelling units, thus addressing the need for accessible housing directly for the first time in the United States.

This study was designed to evaluate the adequacy of the FHAA in protecting the rights of disabled people to accessible multi–family housing, and to learn more about the law's impact on the level of satisfaction with living environment among people with disabilities.

A random sample of multi–family dwellings was drawn from HUD subsidized housing lists encompassing four states. Information was gathered by administering a satisfaction questionnaire to the disabled tenant and conducting a FHAA compliance survey of the complex. The data yielded two sample groups based on whether or not the complex complied with the FHAA guidelines. Results of responses from each sample group were compared and analyzed.

The study shows that the level of satisfaction with living environment varies greatly among people with disabilities depending upon the design attributes of the built environment. It also suggests that those individuals living in complexes that comply with the FHAA are more satisfied with their behavioral and natural environment, indicating that the Act has made a positive difference in the quality of disabled tenants’ daily lives.