Institute for Advanced Studies This paper presents the results of protocol analyses of collaborative design sessions to examine whether the use of different design methods influences the design process. Nine collaborative design sessions using brainstorming, scenario, synectics were analyzed using the function-behavior-structure ontology. The frequencies and distributions of percentages of design issues and design processes were statistically analyzed to determine differences in the design processes caused by the use of different design methods. The results indicate that the use of different design methods influences the design process and the differences appear early on in the design sessions. Brainstorming was more oriented toward functional thinking. Scenario was more oriented towards the design of customer-oriented products by simulating various expected behaviors in context. Synectics was more oriented towards the thinking of product structures and their combination. When dividing the design sessions into three sections, it was found that the influences of the design methods were most pronounced in the early design stage of the conceptual design process. This research contributes to a better understanding of the use of design methods from a design cognition point of view
