The electronic design notebook: Performing medium and processing medium

Abstract

The traditional “Engineer's Notebook” is a volume of bound paper pages. This archaic system is still the medium of choice for mechanical engineers during the conceptual phase of design. In making this choice, designers are taking aperformer's view, choosing freedom and agility in the initial making of drawings over processing power. The paper notebook allows the designer to quickly write and draw whatever she or he desires. During conceptualization, a designer is functioning as a performer, like a musician. And also like a musician, her instrument must be agile or the performance will be cramped and ideas lost. But the agility of Computer Aided Design systems has been neglected in favor ofprocessing power — the ability to do something with the drawings in addition to just making them. Described in this paper isvmacs, a prototypeElectronic Design Notebook which combines the capabilities of performing medium and processing medium.