On the appropriateness of appropriate judgements in design evaluation

Research suggests that “appropriate judges”, as defined by shared knowledge and experience, should have a considerable degree of consensus of opinion with regards to aesthetics in art and design. This paper presents the results of a primary study in which expert judges in the field of automotive design exhibit great disagreement with regards aesthetics. This paper puts forward possible explanations which may help explain the results of the primary investigation: firstly, it questions the appropriateness of the aesthetics-related design principles utilised in the study; then it moves on to discuss the method utilised; finally, this paper discusses the appropriateness of essentialising design principles in design research. The paper concludes by evaluating what “appropriateness” means in the context of investigation into aesthetics in design research.