Designing with different parts of the brain

Ad Hoc made an interesting comment about how different parts of the brain are used designing with a computer compared to a paper and pencil. I think that using a keyboard uses both hands, therefore both sides of the brain. With a pencil, most people use the dominant side almost exclusively. Are there any studies quantifying the differences?

 

Thats my problem --I earned a living at one time as a pencil and paper avionics draftsman with De Havilland and now I have to work with these dam fangled computers

 

Its a modern world.

For 19.95 you can have a quick brain scan done . The results will highlight your talents and help you fine tune your daily work schedule.

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It was ‘deeper' than that. Since the admire beauty/form is what we call aesthetics. Some have “an eye” for it some don’t. Yet we can all recognise beauty in the form is curves/paintings etc when we see it. Such as a painting by Turner, Monet or Michelangelo etc. or a sculptor such as Rodin’s thinker etc. Form is all around us.

However what is been found is that aesthetics uses different parts of the brain and not for reason we first image. Such that the anterior insula part of the brain is used. The anterior insula is typically associated with emotions of negative quality, such as disgust and pain. This has lead to the ‘evolutionary hypothesis’ is that the aesthetic system of the brain evolved first for the appraisal of objects of biological importance. These would include: food and suitable mates, into categories of “good” and “bad” for survival. In other words, if something looked or smelt good it was good for us…and was later co-opted for artworks such as paintings etc.

But when sat at a computer, this is using a different part of the brain.

When the eye is tracking a cursor on a screen, it sense how fast is it moving across the retina. It has been found that the frontal purist area is used in representing movements and how it is recognized. And coupled with this the front part of the cerebrum, is responsible for forming thoughts and the ability to concentrate. In other words, typical functions when at a computer screen.

Thus for me, when sketching on paper, I’m not “concentrating” as such, I’m looking at how it “looks”, does it look right. Whereas if I’m doing the same on a lines fairing program on a computer monitor, different parts of my brain are being used, such as tracking the cursor with my eye to pull or point or click etc and thinking what should I do to improve it, which quite possibly dominates over the “aesthetic” or emotive part of my brain which should tell me if it “is” right.

Food for thought

 

And we see different things, depending on our background and training.
For example, radiologists can miss the most obvious features on a scan
because they immediately look for fine details...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-21466529

 

I second that, when on the computer I always think of ways to manipulate the model/program for a faster way of designing, whereas when I'm sketching I'm only concentrating on the shape of the lines, as I know there are no special tools or gadgets I can use.

 

That is what I find too. A spline or batten is producing a curve, where the curvature is what I am concentrating on instead of the program and computer. Furthermore, how do I choose "sweet points" on an algorithm? Using a computer forces me to use more logic than emotions, with the inevitable consequence that aesthetics take a second place.

 

As boats have been here for 5000 -10,000 years I'm sure designers have eaten both sides of brains.

Cannibalism still lives , look in any boating mag.

While "performance" might come from a computer program ,

great looking or better seems to be from the hand of man , not a purchased program.

 

I can go to a customer with this CAD drawing of a wheelhouse modification , on a laptop... Its sterile..

.when you want to show a detail by zooming in , the whole wheelhouse modification becomes out of context.

Paper napkins with crude lines sketched always works better

 

Michael they an't gonna (are not going to) find much grey matter to analize in this old head, However there's enough to form a simplification and supportation of Ah Hocks post in that : the most beautiful computer generated yachts in the world (frontal cerebrum) are sold thru the emotion generated in the ( anterior insula) as a result of the visuals of mating with the scantly clad females walking their decks. Yup science at it's best.

 

This would explain my poor choice in women! Beautiful but crazy! Maybe on-line dating really works.

 

Ad Hoc, any thoughts on whether the brain works differently when fairing a set of lines on paper using splines and ducks vs on a computer screen using splines and moving control points?

 

computers, and many of the programs for designing, kills creativity and innovation.

Ideas for new inventions, processes and breakthroughs come from deep within the mind after lots of practical application of learning real life applications.

the computer is only a tool to put ideas on paper, and their use takes up too much brain capacity to allow any other subconscious process to occur. And creativity is put to death. We have become slaves to the computer.

 

I've watched very talanted auto designers sketching on the computer using software designed for sketching. They use a mouse or light pen in very much the same way they use a pencil or pen when sketching on paper. It's a very different process from creating engineering models.

 

I enjoying reading your posts and the often helpful information and knowledge that you've shared but this is too broad and generalized.

Computers as a tool will never kill the creativity of those individuals that are talented but it may only serve as a crutch or a cheat for those that are not so inclined.

Perhaps it was better to say something like "computers can often encourage or compensate for mediocrity", etc.