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In two minds: how reflections influence software design thinking
Author(s) -
Razavian Maryam,
Tang Antony,
Capilla Rafael,
Lago Patricia
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
journal of software: evolution and process
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.371
H-Index - 29
eISSN - 2047-7481
pISSN - 2047-7473
DOI - 10.1002/smr.1776
Subject(s) - reflection (computer programming) , computer science , quality (philosophy) , design thinking , reflective thinking , control (management) , test (biology) , software , software design , epistemology , mathematics education , artificial intelligence , human–computer interaction , psychology , software development , programming language , philosophy , paleontology , biology
We theorize a two‐mind model of design thinking. Mind 1 is about logical design reasoning, and Mind 2 is about the reflection on our reasoning and judgments. The problem solving ability of Mind 1 has often been emphasized in software engineering. The reflective Mind 2, however, has not received much attention. In this study, we want to find out if Mind 2, or reflection, can improve design discourse, a prerequisite of design quality. We conducted multiple case studies with 12 student groups, divided into test groups and control groups. We provided external reflections to the test groups. No reflections were given to the control groups. We analyzed the quality of the design discourse in both groups. We found that reflection (Mind 2) improves the quality of design discourse (Mind 1) under certain preconditions. The results highlight the significance of reflection as a mean to improve the quality of design discourse. We conclude that software designers need both Mind 1 and Mind 2 to obtain a higher quality design discourse, as a foundation for a good design. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.