The effects of analogical and metaphorical reasoning on design thinking

•This research examined whether analogical and metaphorical reasoning could be taught to enhance students' creative thinking.•A curriculum was implemented in a studio course that encouraged students to engage in analogical and metaphorical reasoning.•An experiment was conducted to validate the effects of the curriculum on students' design thinking processes.•A teaching strategy that emphasizes the use of reasoning methods could enhance students' design thinking.

This research sought to examine whether analogical and metaphorical reasoning could be taught as a teaching strategy to enhance students' creative thinking in the design process. To investigate the effects of analogical and metaphorical reasoning in design thinking, research was conducted with second year university students majoring in interior architecture. First, a pilot study was conducted to identify the effectiveness of analogical and metaphorical reasoning in supporting design thinking. Based on the results of the pilot study, a curriculum was developed and implemented in a studio course for one semester that encouraged students to engage in analogical and metaphorical reasoning. A further experiment was conducted to validate the effects of the curriculum on students' design thinking processes. The overall results suggested that a teaching strategy that emphasises the use of analogical and metaphorical reasoning could enhance students' design thinking and lead to more creative design processes.