Cognitive and Behavioral Patterns in Concept Design: A Comparison of Individual and Unstructured Group Design Tasks in Digitally-mediated Design Environments

This study investigates how the structure of a design task, working individually versus in an unstructured group, affects cognitive load, behavioral patterns, and design thinking. Despite the widespread use of group projects in design education, the evidence regarding their effectiveness remains mixed. This study aims to uncover the cognitive costs and benefits of each mode, testing whether unstructured collaboration truly enhances learning or inadvertently increases extraneous load and process loss. The study will provide empirical evidence on the cognitive trade‑off between individual and group design cognition. Expected outcomes include the following: (1) quantification of extraneous and germane cognitive loads under each condition; (2) identification of distinct behavioral profiles (e.g., focused, tool-based execution vs. slow, inspiration-driven exploration); (3) thematic characterization of design perspectives (e.g., strategic user focus vs. narrative construction via digital resources). The findings will offer evidence‑based guidelines for structuring collaborative tasks in design education and inform the design of human‑centered collaborative systems that reduce cognitive overhead and promote actual collaboration.