THE EBD THESIS

The First-Professional Evidence-Based Design Thesis

Evidence-based design theses use applied research to attempt to solve a design problem, examine a specific population or user group, and/or a space or practice area. Evidence-based design solutions can involve inquiry into human behavior as related to an interior environment, possible implications of design intervention, or users’ opinions regarding a proposed design solution. An evidence-based design thesis involves investigation of scholarly literature, existing data sets, and research methods to develop a conceptual framework that is applied to and explored through the design solution. Data may be collected through literature reviews, data sets, code analyses, field study, programming analyses, precedent studies, typologies, and related information-gathering tools. Additionally, the student designer/researcher may collect and analyze data collected from case studies, observation, behavior mapping, surveys or a combination of these methods.

Design decisions are drawn from and informed by theory and/or evidence and/or based upon findings in the literature to craft goals and objectives, design concept and application. Graphics are much more integral to the communication of an evidence- based design thesis and serve to illustrate not only the conceptual framework for the theoretical or evidentiary exploration, but also the design solution. Principles of evidence-based design are applicable to all types of interior design projects although most often found in healthcare.