Process and Knowledge in Design Computation

Abstract

The challenge of understanding the many facets of design has been a central issue in attempting to computationally define design processes and knowledge. The historical progression of computers in design has been characterized by high aspirations repeatedly humbled by the complexity of design problems. Fundamental questions concerning the role and impact of computers in design should be re-examined in light of new developments in Computer-Aided Design (CAD) and Artificial Intelligence (AI), and the progressive understanding of design itself. At the heart of these issues must lie a mutual understanding of the respective traits of design and computation, and the balance of interaction between them.In this paper two avenues, expressed in terms of mappings between design and computation, are explored with the intention of clarifying the relationship between the theories of design and computation. First, the relationship between models of the design process and computational search strategies is explored. Several paradigms (problem solving, puzzle making, and constraint satisfying), which demonstrate a breadth of approaches to modeling design, are presented along with their computational implications. Second, relationships between design knowledge and computational representation schemes are discussed. Emphasis is placed on drawing from cognitive and computational knowledge representation schemes to represent design knowledge. Finally, some thoughts on integrating these design models and knowledge representation schemes into computer systems to assist designers are discussed.