Designing the Design Process
Exploiting Opportunistic Thoughts
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 15215969 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Raymonde Guindon (Stanford University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 1990 |
| Volume | 5 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 305-344 |
| Publication date | 1990-06-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Human-Computer Interaction (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0737-0024 • E-ISSN: 1532-7051 |
| Publisher | Taylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/07370024.1990.9667157 |
| OpenAlex | W2002183047 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 14 |
| References cited | 5 |
This study shows that top-down decomposition is problematic in the early stages of design. Instead, an opportunistic decomposition is better suited to handle the ill-structuredness of design problems. Designers are observed interleaving decisions at various levels of abstraction in the solution decomposition. The verbal protocols of three professionals designing a software system of realistic complexity are analyzed to determine the frequency and causes of opportunistic decompositions. The sudden discovery of new requirements and partial solutions triggered by data-driven rules and associations, the immediate development of solutions for newly discovered requirements, and drifting through partial solutions are shown to be important causes of opportunistic design. A top-down decomposition appears to be a special case for well-structured problems when the designer already knows the correct decomposition. Two cognitive models are briefly discussed in relation to opportunistic design. Finally, implications for training, methods, and computational environments to support the early stages of design are outlined
Abstraction · Data mining · Decomposition · Design process · Interleaving · Operations management · Process (computing · Programming language · Relation (database · Reliability engineering · Software engineering · Work in process · Computer Science · Design Education and Practice · Engineering · Product Development and Customization · Software Engineering Research
Freshman engineers' performance when solving design problems
Value Co-creation with Stakeholders Using Action Research as a Meta-methodology in a Funded Research Project
Stimulating Students’ Use of External Representations for a Distance Education Time Machine Design
Graduate Students Using Concept Mapping to Visualize Instructional Design Processes
Code talk' in soft work
Measuring Behaviors for Assessing Design Expertise
Pliable Logic as a Practice-Led Research Methodology for Textile Practice
Toward a design theory of problem solving
The Work of IT System Developers in Context
A Design Thinking Rationality Framework
Finding the best users to involve in design
A Process-Oriented Approach to Design Rationale
Small Group Design Meetings
Cognitive Activities and Levels of Abstraction in Procedural and Object-Oriented Design
| Unique citing works | 14 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,4 |
| Citation span | 1991 - 2024 (34) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 13 |