Empirical investigation of factors that enhance development of technology in design process improvement in architecture education: analyses of students' views

Abstract

PurposeTechnology development quality in architectural design is affected by the quality of the process and factors used to develop it. The purpose of this study is to investigate the factors for effective enhancement (EE) of technologies in design process improvement (DPI).Design/methodology/approachMajor databases have been explored to identify a list of factors affecting technology development in DPI because of the main elements of architecture design education. Then, a survey-based empirical study has been done in two high-rank architecture schools (one in a developing country and one in a developed country), during the years 2015–2018. Data have been collected from analyzing the design process, design reviews, design team viewpoints, researchers' observations and organizations' features about the development of production, conceptualization and communication technologies in DPI initiatives. Both quantitative and qualitative approaches have been utilized to provide deep contextual data.FindingsComparative analysis of the groups showed that high levels of EE of technologies lead to high levels of DPI, and these are because of the positive performance of conceptualization, communication and production technologies.Originality/valueComparing two groups, the category of design process and the factors related to the design stages of ask, imagine and improve approved to be the right factors to use technologies in more effective ways. Efficiency in collecting information and doing research, efficiency in developing solutions, efficiency in communicating results, team processes and organization communications have been rated top most effective factors based upon overall categories.