Problem Solving and Critical Thinking for Designers

The essential guide to decision making and problem solving for the interior designer

The interior design profession requires effective problem solving and critical thinking, as they impact all phases of the design project and most work activities of the interior designer. Whether you are a student or professional designer, much of what you do involves these skills. Although most of us do not even think about what we do in terms of these activities, they are a constant part of design. They are also skills that must be performed successfully outside a professional career. Improving these skills makes you a more sought-after employee and designer, effective business owner, and fulfilled individual. Problem Solving and Critical Thinking for Designers will put the reader on the correct path to a solutions-oriented practice. Using her trademark accessible and conversational approach, Christine Piotrowski guides readers through the process of how the working designer solves problems and makes decisions. Some of the topics she discusses are:

• Design process

• Communication

• Asking questions

• Problem definition and analysis

• Decision-making process

• Negotiation

• Working with others

• Ethical decision making

This book also features real-life scenarios and design problems that guide the reader toward making correct decisions in real-life situations.

Christine M. Piotrowski, FASID, IIDA, provides consulting services on business practices to interior designers. Now based in Phoenix, Arizona, she is a former professor of interior design at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona. She has more than twenty-five years of commercial and residential design experience. Christine is the author of the award-winning Professional Practice for Interior Designers and Becoming an Interior Designer, as well as coauthor of Designing Commercial Interiors, all published by Wiley.