Psychological Mechanism and Classification of Similarity Judgment in Design:Expert Interviews and Questionnaire Survey

Abstract

Similarity judgment is a core cognitive activity in conceptual design, directly affecting design thinking efficiency, outcome novelty, and decision rationality. While its significance in combinatorial design and analogical reasoning is confirmed (McTeague, 2022), the underlying psychological mechanism and systematic classification in design scenarios remain understudied. Integrating cognitive psychology theories, this study adopted expert interviews (n=12) and questionnaire surveys (n=198 valid responses) with professional designers to explore these issues. Results show that design similarity judgment follows a dual-process mechanism: structural alignment processing (M=4.23, SD=0.58) dominates, with limited thematic association processing (M=2.87, SD=0.65) as a supplement (r=0.23, p<0.01). It can be classified into three dimensions with weighted order: functional similarity (M=4.35, SD=0.52) > formal similarity (M=3.78, SD=0.61) > contextual similarity (M=2.96, SD=0.73). Work experience and design field further influence judgment preferences. These findings enrich the dual-process model’s contextual application, provide a unified classification system, and offer implications for cognitive ergonomic optimization of design tools and designer training.

Keywords: Design Similarity Judgment, Psychological Mechanism, Structural Alignment, Thematic Similarity, Expert Interview, Questionnaire Survey

DOI: 10.54941/ahfe1007423