Design processes are both spatial and temporal phenomena. While the spatial dimension of design activity - building on the theoretical current of New Materialism and particularly Actor-Network Theory - is increasingly becoming a focus of research, the temporal aspects of contemporary design practices remain insufficiently understood in design research. Yet design activity is permeated by various manifestations of time. Time is not merely a measurable quantity; designers perceive it differently in their processes, experiencing it as distorted, enriched, retroactive, fluid, stagnant, or sudden. It manifests as an experiential dimension of the design process, for instance in chronobiological rhythms, design experience, aesthetics, and styles.

Of particular interest, following the protocol studies of the 1990s and 2000s [1] which already conducted numerous measurements of quantitative time in design processes, are the qualitative aspects of time within such processes. The primary focus is thus on temporality in the design process that can be understood as subjective temporal perception or, following Bergson, as "duration" [2]. This raises the question of how qualitative temporality influences the design process and how its shaping can affect design outcomes.

The investigation begins with a systematic analysis of references to and considerations of qualitative time in design theory and practice, found in graphic process representations, design research writings, university curricula, and practical design reflections. Using discourse analysis methods, the study examines which conceptions of time within design processes have been historically negotiated, both implicitly and explicitly, and to what extent these have affected and continue to affect design practice.

Building on this, the research explores further methodological potentials of (qualitative) time design in the design process. Process approaches such as "Reflection in Action" [3] or "Adhocism" [4] suggest that non-quantitative temporalities can also be understood as designable parameters with tool-like characteristics. Understanding time as perception-bound also directs attention to perception itself and the means of perception, specifically embodiment and design media. Thus, the question of time leads back to the dimension of space, to media and materials, and their associated specific requirements, which are examined from media-theoretical and work-psychological perspectives [5].

The research question focuses on the relationship between time in the design process - both qualitative and quantitative - its active shaping, and the qualities of the resulting outcomes. Two approaches to design research are combined to investigate design through design: experimental interventions in design processes and a recursive, artistic-design research project situated in communication design. Against this background, the work aims to contribute to the understanding of design processes through an integrated consideration of time and space.

Supervisors:
Prof. Dr. Tom Bieling
​​Prof. Adrian Nießler

^{[1] Cross, Nigel (2001): Design cognition: results from protocol and other empirical studies of design activity. In: Eastman, C.; Newstatter, W. & McCracken, M. (Eds.): Design knowing and learning: cognition in design education. Oxford, UK: Elsevier, pp. 79-103.
[2] Bergson, Henri (2016): Zeit und Freiheit. Meiner Felix Verlag. (Original from 1911, French original from 1889)
[3] Schön, Donald (1983). The Reflective Practitioner: How Professionals Think in Action. London: Temple Smith.
[4] Jencks, Charles & Silver, Nathan (2013): Adhocism. The case for Improvisation. MIT Press. (Original from 1972.)
[5] cf. Mareis, Claudia (2020): Zeitlichkeit des Entwerfens. Visuelle Prozessmodelle und ihre temporale Bedeutung. In: Visuelle Zeitgestaltung. De Gruyter.}