In an era where global digital virtual culture increasingly permeates complex cultural spaces, the integration of digital cultural spatial technologies with traditional cultural environments demands more sophisticated private cultural services. Despit...
In an era where global digital virtual culture increasingly permeates complex cultural spaces, the integration of digital cultural spatial technologies with traditional cultural environments demands more sophisticated private cultural services. Despite advancements in theoretical frameworks and technical elements within private cultural communities, the demand for culturally responsive complex spaces continues to grow. This situation highlights the need for analytical approaches that can address the spatial limitations of cultural environments and underscores the importance of sustained user cognition research regarding digital spatial products.
However, research progress in this area remains limited, and a lack of situational cognition often leads to the application of formalized cognitive processes, resulting in contradictory or superficial outcomes due to temporal and planning constraints. Accordingly, this study focused on image-based cognitive design and conducted an integrated cognitive analysis grounded in the researcher’s experimental direction. Through empirical research, this study explored user cognition and potential research directions related to new forms of spatial culture. The cognitive approach to culture aimed to provide more accurate and effective guidelines for experimental practice and research-oriented cognition in spatial image design, thereby enabling rational and scientific experimentation. The dissemination of digital cultural spaces, the preservation of cultural heritage, and the experiential fusion of spatial experimentation are considered essential theoretical tasks that contribute to cultural innovation.
For the analytic framework, this study combined case analysis, prior research, experimental investigations, protocol analysis, and comprehensive data analysis. A systematic cognitive analysis was conducted to reduce noise and enhance scientific rigor by dividing the participant’s cultural, behavioral, emotional, and perceptual processes into five cognitive behavioral stages.
The research process is summarized as follows.
First, in studying participant behavior in complex spatial service environments, the cognitive design processes displayed in planned environments were analyzed using media recordings, and verbal protocols based on designer behavior were subsequently examined.
Second, the recorded verbal protocols were standardized and coded using protocol analysis to establish a scientific and rational method that reflects theoretical perspectives.
Third, to conduct a scientific analysis of complex cultural systems, three major semiotic categories—Representamen, Object, and Interpretant—were adopted. A top-down problem-solving method was used to examine the semiotic structure. Fourth, semiotic subcategories were established within each major category to analyze psychological, representational, expressive, and strategic behaviors.
In the Representamen stage, three subcategories—Iconicity, Indexicality, and Symbolicity—were applied. Iconicity was further examined through image-making, schematization, and metaphorical behavior. Indexicality focused on habitual or implicit psychological behaviors such as gaze, spatial attention, and reactions to environmental cues. Symbolicity examined aesthetic and future-oriented symbolic acts. In the Object stage, two key subcategories—Visuality and Expressivity—were analyzed. Visuality included cognitive acts preceding visualization and the graphic realization of design ideas. Expressivity included concretization and rationalization behaviors involved in expressing design intent.
In the Interpretant stage, two subcategories—Comprehension and Strategy—were included. Comprehension involved recording, storing, and structuring information, while Strategy assessed predictive reasoning and the organization of communicable information for future applications.
This study aimed to systematize these multi-layered semiotic and cognitive categories to clarify the early-phase ideation behaviors of designers. Protocol analysis grounded in cognitive psychology enabled second-by-second and minute-by-minute examination of expert and non-expert behaviors during design tasks. Frequency-based graphical methods were also used to analyze decision-making processes.
Key experimental findings include:
1. Experts displayed more stable and structured representational expressions than non-experts.
2. While non-experts showed similar levels of basic visualization, significant differences appeared in conceptualization and professional expression.
3. In interpretant-related behavior, experts demonstrated better utilization of tools, consistent verification, and systematic recording to support rational interpretation.
Overall, this study contributes to understanding how designers concretize early-stage ideas within semiotic frameworks in complex cultural space models. Through the participation of three experts and three non-experts, the research revealed differences in efficiency and rational decision-making, providing foundational insights into design education and practical ideation processes. The analysis emphasizes the importance of cognitive capability and experiential expertise for rational design behavior.
From the integrated cognitive experiment, six optimal pathways for image design were derived:
1. Initial representation arises from foundational understanding.
2. Expression of the object requires optimized methods grounded in structural comprehension.
3. Ideation and concretization must clearly differentiate between representation and object.
4. Analytical records of the user (object) are essential for future research.
5. Strategic decisions applied to concrete design guide subsequent developmental stages, although modifications at later stages pose practical challenges.
6. Practical design behavior evolves depending on the designer’s experiential capability, underscoring the need for research-centered cognitive development.
This study produced educationally meaningful results in optimal early-stage design cognition based on user experiments. Future research should broaden its scope, incorporating advanced perspectives such as informatization, AI convergence, and visualization. Continued exploration of semiotics-based cognitive analysis in complex cultural spaces will further systematize service design cognition and enhance scientific and rational design methodologies.