Biasing cognitive processes during design: the effects of color

The literature on design cognition indicates that, to avoid early fixation, designers should sketch the overall form for a design before focusing attention on the details of individual components. An empirical study was conducted to investigate how sketching tools can influence this cognitive process, specifically investigating the potential of color to cause Gestalt-like perceptual grouping phenomena that induce early fixation on the details. The results indicate that design cognition was very strongly influenced by the introduction of color into the design environment, causing a substantial number of designers to ignore their training to sketch first the overall form.