Client's presence during design. A study on roles, practice and visual management

Paper in proceeding, 2015

From earlier studies we know that communication between clients and the design team can be difficult and needs and wishes of the client are not always understood. Studies related to integrated design processes, cooperative work approaches and collocation support a better cooperation between the client and the design team. Furthermore, visualisation is known for being supportive of sharing information and knowledge embedded in practice. The aim of this article is to explore how the physical presence of the client and application of visual means influence practices for sharing information and collaboration toward realizing the client’s needs and wishes in the final design. The research applies a multiple case study of three qualitative cases in an Integrated Design Team (IDT) setting. All three cases were followed throughout the entire design process, where the design teams were semi-collocated. Based on empirical data we found the following: (1) the physical presence of the client in a IDT environment influences (i) the relationship between the client and the IDT, (ii) and the client's role towards being an active member during the design process. (2) The client applies a traditional way of sharing their information in contrast to the work practice and potential for visualization within the IDT (3) There exists potential for increasing the use of visual means and possibilities of visual management to enable the understanding of the client’s needs and wishes in an IDT.