Implementation of Typology Criteria for Design Knowledge Reflecting Design Diversification

Abstract

As the design-related knowledge base grows to remain abreast of technological and scientific advancements, ‘Design Knowledge’ has emerged as a new genre of pragmatic design. Criteria need to be determined to establish a typology as a knowledge-based system supporting education, literature, and industrial organizations. To this end, this study establishes criteria for design knowledge typology while considering design diversification by applying existing topological criteria to the classification of books, industries, and academic disciplines along with new views of design theorists. A matrix analysis was conducted to test the applicability of the design knowledge language data by checking them against extracted and defined criteria. We found it impossible to consistently typify contemporary design concepts with single-attribute criteria; the multiple-criteria classification method is much more effective. Further, contemporary design language has evolved from object-based to concept-based terms. Our study lays the groundwork for a useful typology for a design study schema.