“Ask Aloud Protocol”: Toward a Participant-Driven Question-Asking Design Research Method
Lintao Tang, Sihang Wang · Frontiers in artificial intelligence and applications · 2024
In the field of problem formulation for design research, the conventional Think Aloud Protocol (TAP) has faced challenges in addressing complex problems such as Wicked Problems (WPs) over its two-decade history. Instead, the utilization of questions as a verbal tool has emerged as a more effective approach, producing insightful outcomes for intricate design challenges. Moreover, the largely untapped potential of participant-generated questions in design research holds promise for reducing subjective biases in designer-driven problem formulations and strengthening the role of participants. This study presents the Participant-Driven Ask Aloud Protocol (AAP) and employs it in spatial planning experiments at both QILI South Urban Village and the China World Mall’s Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) in Beijing, China. The analysis highlights AAP’s effectiveness in broadening the scope of generative design possibilities and facilitating a more precise and efficient identification of WPs in the design process.