Protocol analysis of designers using an interactive evolutionary computation

This paper explores the problem-solving behavior of people in design activities through a protocol analysis of verbal reports on the interior work design process simulated by an interactive evolutionary computation (IEC). The protocol analysis method was used to explore the ways of thinking of the participants throughout the process. The analysis reveals that different parts of the interior scene have different effects on the evaluations, and people tend to use the same evaluation criteria continuously on several images. This kind of behavior is consistent with that of professional designers in past studies and is revealed applicable to non-professionals in the current research.