From chopped to cooked: Design and inference in physical environments

Abstract

Physical spaces are often designed to support specific uses. But how do people create such environments, and how do users infer their intended function? We propose that design and inference about design are complementary processes, grounded in a capacity to mentally simulate goal-directed actions. We tested this using ``Overcooked”-style kitchens where participants either judged what a kitchen was designed for (Study 1) or designed kitchens for cooks with varying goals and beliefs (Study 2). In Study 1, participants inferred that kitchens were designed for tasks the layout made easier to complete, consistent with the prediction of a simulation-based computational model. In Study 2, participants made designs that helped cooks efficiently complete their task, adjusting their choices when cooks faced uncertainty about which task to perform. Together, these findings point towards a study of design as a cognitive activity grounded in the same mechanisms that support planning and social reasoning.