Evaluating in interaction: subjective-side and objective-side assessments in design review.

Abstract

This study responds to ongoing calls to illuminate the interactional practices of design by examining design evaluation conversations. Through a microethnographic analysis of a recorded design review meeting between a designer and two clients who are also co-CEOs, the study investigates how participants evoke and navigate diverse opinions through verbal, vocal, and bodily practices, with particular attention to their use of subjective-side and objective-side assessments. The analysis reveals that participants’ activation of objective-side and subjective-side perspectives gives rise to a dichotomy between practicality and aesthetics, resulting in diverging views. However, these formulations also enable participants to achieve agreement. The study highlights how a keen awareness of these distinctions can be strategically leveraged to support productive and relational evaluation activities.