Cognitive Science and Computer Aided Design: Generative Cognition and Building Creative Capacity

In a previous post about the Autodesk Learning Engine, I noted that Autodesk is developing a learning engine based on cognitive science and the needs of our customers.

The Autodesk Learning Engine is a tool-based platform that helps you navigate your career using rich visualizations and sophisticated data analytics. It shows you what you know, don’t know, and need to know to thrive. It is sort of like Generative Design for Learning. The Learning Engine helps people visualize what they know and guides them towards skills that will be valuable in the future by providing in-app tutorials, mentor matching, and in-app recognitions. The Learning Engine uses machine learning to accelerate human learning.

Two of my colleagues, Mickey McManus and Neta Tamir, discussed cognitive science as part of Insights and Ethics for the Digital Age at this year's Autodesk University. They noted that some activities drain our cognitive capacity. It's like we're out of gas and can't think anymore. Other activities refill our tank. Autodesk is paying attention to this science as we develop our customer training programs.

Autodesk has always been an automation company. Today, more than ever, that means helping our customers automate their design and make processes. We help them embrace the future of making, where they can do more (e.g., quantity, functionality, performance, quality), with less (e.g., energy, raw materials, timeframes, waste of human potential), and realize the opportunity for better (e.g., innovation, user experience, efficiency, sustainability, return on investment). Considering how our customers learn so that they can augment their skillsets to use our toolsets based on their mindsets is part of that opportunity for better.

Recognition of cognition is alive in the lab.