Research Methods for Interior Design: Applying Interiority

275 Pages·2020·14.615 MB·English

by  Dana E. Vaux, David Wang

Research Methods for
Interior Design
Interior design has shifted significantly in the past fifty years from a focus on home decoration
within family and consumer sciences to a focus on the impact of health and safety within the interior
environment. This shift has called for a deeper focus in evidence-based research for interior design
education and practice.
Research Methods for Interior Design provides a broad range of qualitative and quantitative
examples, each highlighted as a case of interior design research. Each chapter is supplemented
with an in-depth introduction, additional questions, suggested exercises, and additional research
references. The book’s subtitle, Applying Interiority, identifies one reason why the field of interior
design is expanding, namely, all people wish to achieve a subjective sense of well-being within built
environments, even when those environments are not defined by walls. The chapters of this book
exemplify different ways to comprehend interiority through clearly defined research methodologies.
This book is a significant resource for interior design students, educators, and researchers in
providing them with an expanded vision of what interior design research can encompass.
Dana E. Vaux, PhD, is Associate Professor of Interior and Product Design at University of Nebraska
Kearney. Her interdisciplinary scholarship investigates the connections between cultural-historical
meanings and place.
David Wang, PhD, is Professor Emeritus of Architecture at Washington State University. He has
published extensively on design research, most notably, with Linda Groat, Architectural Research
Methods, 2nd edition, 2013.

Research Methods
for Interior Design
Applying Interiority
Edited by Dana E. Vaux and David Wang
First published 2021
by Routledge
52 Vanderbilt Avenue, New York, NY 10017
and by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2021 Taylor & Francis
The right of Dana E. Vaux and David Wang to be identified as the authors of the editorial material, and of
the authors for their individual chapters, has been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by
any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying
and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the
publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used
only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Vaux, Dana E., editor. | Wang, David, 1954– editor.
Title: Research methods for interior design: applying interiority /
edited by Dana E. Vaux and David Wang.
Description: New York, NY: Routledge, 2020. | Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2020008943 (print) | LCCN 2020008944 (ebook) |
ISBN 9780367139445 (hardback) | ISBN 9780367139490 (paperback) |
ISBN 9780429029325 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Interior decoration—Research—Methodology.
Classification: LCC NK2116.4 R47 2020 (print) | LCC NK2116.4 (ebook) |
DDC 729.072—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020008943
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020008944
ISBN: 978-0-367-13944-5 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-0-367-13949-0 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-0-429-02932-5 (ebk)
Typeset in Univers
by codeMantra
Contents
List of Contributors vii
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction Dana E. Vaux and David Wang 1
1 Focus Groups 10
Editors’ Introduction 10
Interiority at the Scale of Neighborhoods: Exploring the Health Experiences
of Three Cultural Groups Tasoulla Hadjiyanni 13
Discussion and Exercises 25
2 Design Ethnography 30
Editors’ Introduction 30
Understanding User Experience within Flexible Workplaces:
An Ethnographic Approach Isil Oygur, Ozgur Gocer and Ebru Ergoz Karahan 32
Discussion and Exercises 43
3 Narrative Inquiry 48
Editors’ Introduction 48
Narratives of Healing: The Records of the Visiting Nurse Service of New York
in the Era of the Great Depression Erin Cunningham 50
Discussion and Exercises 63
4 Applied Historic Preservation 67
Editors’ Introduction 67
A Local Meeting Place: The Adaptive Reuse of the Huffman
House Lisa Tucker 69
Discussion and Exercises 82
5 Oral History 87
Editors’ Introduction 87
Living and Moving, Thingly Interior History Bryan D. Orthel 89
Discussion and Exercises 102
v
Contents
6 Philosophical Method 107
Editors’ Introduction 107
Interior Design in the Common Sense David Wang 109
Discussion and Exercises 124
7 Logical Argumentation 128
Editors’ Introduction 128
Understanding Place Meaning through Ethos-Intensive Objects
Dana E. Vaux 130
Discussion and Exercises 144
8 Mixed Methods 150
Editors’ Introduction 150
Validating “Feeling at Home”: Developing a Psychological Constructs Pattern
to Aid in the Design of Environments for the Homeless Jill Pable 152
Discussion and Exercises 166
9 Correlation 171
Editors’ Introduction 171
Correlating Interior Lighting with Teacher Productivity Levels in the
Public Pre-K–12 Classroom Alana Pulay 174
Discussion and Exercises 182
10 Scale Creation 189
Editors’ Introduction 189
Measuring the “Thirdplaceness” of Social Media
Michael R. Langlais and Dana E. Vaux 190
Discussion and Exercises 204
11 Virtual Simulation 210
Editors’ Introduction 210
Biometric Data and Virtual Response Testing in a Classroom
Design Saleh Kalantari 212
Discussion and Exercises 223
12 Creative Scholarship 229
Editors’ Introduction 229
Computational Design: Organic Growth and Research Tactics Interview with
Andrew Kudless by David Wang and Dana E. Vaux 231
Discussion and Exercises 247
Selected Bibliography 251
Credits 256
Index 259
vi
Contributors
Erin Cunningham, PhD, is Assistant Professor in the Department of Interior Design at the University
of Florida. Her research focuses on the history and preservation of 19th- and 20th-century
interior spaces, including social settlement houses, vernacular architecture and public housing
interiors.
Ozgur Gocer, PhD, is Lecturer at the University of Sydney in the Department of Architecture, Design
and Planning. Her research expertise relates to GIS-based post-occupancy evaluation (POE)
studies in outdoor and indoor environments, workspace design and climate responsive design.
Tasoulla Hadjiyanni, PhD, is Northrop Professor of Interior Design at the University of Minnesota.
Hadjiyanni’s driver is the belief that design can be leveraged for innovation and change to
create culturally enriched, healthy and connected communities in which everyone can thrive.
Saleh Kalantari, PhD EDAC, is Assistant Professor in Cornell University’s Department of Design
and Environmental Analysis. He is the director of the Design and Augmented Intelligence
Lab (DAIL) at Cornell, where his research group investigates the effects and opportunities of
human–technology interactions in design and fabrication.
Ebru Ergoz Karahan, PhD, is Associate Professor of Architecture at Ozyegin University, Istanbul.
Sustainable housing, occupant/user behavior, housing demand and project management are
among her research interests. She is the founder and one of the coordinators of a working
group at European Network for Housing Research.
Andrew Kudless is the Bill Kendall Memorial Endowed Professor in the College of Architecture and
Design at the University of Houston. His creative work explores the emergent relationships
between architecture, engineering, biology and computation.
Michael R. Langlais, PhD, is Assistant Professor in the Department of Educational Psychology at
the University of North Texas. His research focuses on promoting healthy romantic relationship
development, particularly the role that technology plays within those processes.
Bryan D. Orthel, PhD, is Associate Professor in the Eskenazi School of Art, Architecture + Design at
Indiana University Bloomington. His scholarship focuses on perceptions and use of history and
preservation, as well as the scholarship of teaching and learning for design.
vii
Contributors
Isil Oygur, PhD, is Assistant Professor of Industrial Design at Ozyegin University, Turkey. Her re-
search interests focus on design anthropology, digital interactions, user-centered design and
the scholarship of teaching and learning.
Jill Pable, PhD, is Professor and Chair of the Interior Architecture & Design Department at Florida
State University. Her research focuses on the design of environments for disadvantaged peo-
ple and especially places that help people exit homelessness effectively. She facilitates Design
Resources for Homelessness, a non-profit knowledge resource.
Alana Pulay, PhD, is Assistant Professor in the School of Design + Construction at Washington State
University. Her research and professional practice center around learning environments and
include over sixteen years’ involvement with architecture and engineering firms specializing in
the design of sustainable K-12 schools.
Lisa Tucker, PhD, is Professor and Chair for Interior Design at Virginia Tech and teaches courses on
sustainable design and upper-level design studios. She is a LEED BD + C and WELL accredited
professional. Dr. Tucker is a registered architect and certified interior designer.
Dana E. Vaux, PhD, is Associate Professor of Interior & Product Design at University of Nebraska
Kearney. Her interdisciplinary scholarship investigates connections between cultural-historical
meanings and place.
David Wang, PhD, is Professor Emeritus of Architecture at Washington State University. He has pub-
lished extensively on design research, most notably, with Linda Groat, Architectural Research
Methods, 2nd edition, 2013.
viii
Acknowledgments
Dana E. Vaux:
This book developed out of a need in my own classroom for a research methods book specific to
interiors. How to inspire our next generation of designers—many of whom will enter the profession
after earning a bachelor’s degree—to understand the importance of research-informed design and, even
more importantly, how to conduct research with the potential to inform design? Many excellent research
methods books exist; however, I found it unwieldy to adapt them to a semester course at a “first look”
level. Five years later, the results are many student projects based on primary research—and this book.
The subtitle to this book, “Applying Interiority,” is a response to a long-standing call in interior
design literature to consider the context of “interior.” As we note in the Introduction, an interior does
not exist apart from something else. The interconnectedness of interiors with broader social, cultural
and physical contexts highlights the importance of this term for interior designers.
First and foremost, I want to thank David Wang. I continue to learn from him and am grateful
for the opportunity to work with him on this project. His experience and expertise have made all the
difference. I am thankful for his steadfastness and encouragement from the first idea to the final
period. Many thanks to our contributing authors for their collegiality, scholarship and diligence in
meeting deadlines as well as patience with numerous revisions. I also want to thank my colleagues
Sylvia Asay and Mickey Langlais for contributing their expertise with invaluable feedback at opportune
moments. Thanks also to Sarah Urquhart and Teegan Nordhues for reading and editing content when
we needed an objective eye. Most of all, I must thank my husband Jim for his unwavering support.
Finally, I want to thank my students who continually inspire me with their creativity and fresh
perspectives. The heart of this book developed out of our work together.
David Wang:
Thanks first goes to my colleague Dana Vaux for putting this book together. Producing a book is an
academic’s version of running a marathon, with ups and downs along the way. Dana’s dedication
was unwavering throughout, keeping us on pace, and always well hydrated with good humor and
collegiality. I greatly appreciated working with her. And this being an edited volume, we had company
along the way. Thanks to all the contributors who worked hard to make this book possible. The
domain of design research continues to grow, and each contributor should be proud for playing a part
in this effort. Lastly, for me, whenever I publish works on research methods, I am grateful to Linda
Groat at the University of Michigan. She first mentored me to see that design research applies to
much larger concerns than physical buildings. All of our life experiences take place in built settings. In
this sense, design research by its very nature concerns itself with interior realities.
ix