Understanding Spatial Ability in Interior Design Education: 2D-to-3D Visualization Proficiency as a Predictor of Design Performance

Spatial ability—the ability to represent, transform, and manipulate two-dimensional (2D) or three-dimensional (3D) information—is vital in solving everyday problems; however, compared to the well-known role of spatial ability in engineering or science, little is known about its role in interior design performance. In addition, the mismatch of reported male outperformance on general spatial ability tasks and absence of gender difference in design performance prompt questioning on whether interior design requires a specific type of spatial ability that general spatial ability tests may not sufficiently measure. Thus, the purpose of this study was to understand the details of spatial ability and their relationship with students’ interior design performance. In order to clarify the particular spatial proficiency required for interior design, the following test tools were used: (1) general spatial ability tests and (2) the Architecture and Interior design domain-specific Spatial Ability Test (AISAT), developed for this study. The spatial ability scores of 40 interior design majors at one university in South Korea were compared with the scores they received from three experts on design projects they completed. Results show that (1) 2D-to-3D visualization proficiency on the AISAT correlated with both the originality and three-dimensional quality of the design product, (2) 2D-to-3D visualization proficiency predicted both the originality and 3D quality of the design product, and (3) male outperformance was found only in general spatial ability. Results highlight the necessity to nurture 2D-to-3D visualization proficiency for the improvement of design performance in interior design education.