What is it like to see a bat?

The article outlines the main strands of design research into means-based and end-based inquiry. It examines problems with design research on the appearances of objects which are qualitative and psychological. A tentative outline is made about the core of design and how designers approach aesthetic judgements during design. The distinction between intuitive design and process-based design is made before exploring a question posed by Hillier (1998) concerning design's relation to processes and form. Finally, a case is made for an art-criticism approach to design research.