The improvement of the information technologies has also led some transformations on the architectural practice; and introduced some new facts such as computer-aided design (CAD) and computer aided manufacturing (CAM). Recently, the computer has become not only a tool that serves to represent, but also the design -and even manufacturing- tool itself. This transformation has risen up some questions on the relationship between the design tool, design process and the creativity of the designer. Particularly in architectural education, the use of computer aided design tools and methods has brought the discussion of the designer’s role as the “subject” of the design process. Within this scope, a short-term design workshop for the students of architecture was held at Maltepe University, in order to investigate the effects of the differentiation of the design tools and methods on the design process. According to the framework of the workshop, the participants were divided into groups that would follow different design approaches (modular, fragmented, integrated) and develop proposals both by using traditional design methods -such as physical models- and computer aided design methods.

In order to study the relationship between the design tool and the design process, the participants were asked to record the whole design processes visually and auditory, during the workshop. Classifying and transcribing these records, the relationship between design approaches, design tools and design process was analysed in detail by observing the frequency of used concepts and actions. Regarding to the research, the most significant finding was that design processes using traditional design tools and computer aided design tools couldn’t be handled independently of the design approach and thought. In addition, the research revealed that concepts such as function, ergonomics, size, scale and structural system were both common aspects affecting the design and were treated independently of the design tool. Increasing and expanding the scope of such research will allow for a more detailed and in-depth reading of the relationship between the design tool and the design method.Tasarım aracının tasarım süreci olan ilişkisinin ölçülmesi amacıyla, katılımcılardan atölye boyunca gerçekleştirdikleri tasarım süreçlerini, görsel ve işitsel kayıt altına almaları istenmiştir. Bu kayıtlar, sınıflandırılarak deşifre edilmiş, farklı tasarım yöntemleri ve tasarım süreçleri bağlamında ifade edilen kavramlar ve eylemlerin kullanım sıklıkları incelenerek tasarım yaklaşımı, aracı ve süreci arasındaki ilişkiler analiz edilmiştir. Araştırmanın sonucunda, öne çıkan en belirgin tespit, geleneksel tasarım araçlarının ve bilgisayar destekli tasarım araçlarının kullanıldığı tasarlama süreçlerinin, tasarım yaklaşımı ve düşüncesinden bağımsız olarak ele alınamayacağı olmuştur. Bunun yanı sıra, işlev, ergonomi, ölçü, ölçek ve taşıyıcılık gibi kavramların ise, hem tasarıma etki eden ortak konular olduğu, hem de tasarım aracından bağımsız olarak ele alındıkları gözlemlenmiştir. Bu tür araştırmaların artırılması ve kapsamının genişletilmesi, tasarım aracı ile tasarım yöntemi arasındaki ilişkilerin daha detaylı ve derinlemesine okumalarının yapılabilmesine olanak sağlayacaktır.