6.3 Suspended Ceiling Design Process - Bilkent University

7. Construct and analyze the matrix and comment on the design
process.
8. Evaluate the results with the participants.
7.4.4.1 Data Collection
The data was collected through inspection of design documents and
interviews with designers. Since all of the participants except the
elevator design engineer from OTIS were familiar with the DSM
method, the early steps of the data collection process (explanation of
the aim and the procedure of the study and of how DSMs work) were
relatively short. The early interviews were open-ended type and
recorded. Besides these interviews, some design documents such as
manufacturers’ information, drawings, and design guides have been
examined. A draft version of elevator design process model was
produced according to the collected data. In the later phases of the data
collection process, the matrix was revised according to the comments
from the participants. In addition to the observations on the data
collection process discussed in the previous case study, the following
points were identified in this study:
1. The design participants might have different perspectives on the
issues due to their different disciplinary backgrounds. In this case,
the interviewer had to act as a mediator. Thus, this study revealed
that in data collection for DSM analyses the interviewer should
posses the knowledge of the system to some degree and be able to
discuss different aspects of the process.
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