Extending the scope and use of design rationale records

Abstract

AbstractDuring the course of the design of a complex artifact many thousands of objects will be created that will refer to many different types of information. Thus, an effective design support system must be able to store various types of data and allow easy navigation of the resulting extensive network of objects. In addition, the quality of the design records (both the record of the design artifact and rationale) is increased by the quality and quantity of information which the designer is able to record. In this paper we describe two new developments to Kbds a design support system for chemical process design, which enable easier navigation of the design network, and a fuller representation of the design process. In addition, we show how these extensions may be used together to improve the quality of the design information recorded—both for the evolution of the design artifact and the supporting rationale. The first development enables the designer to record a variety of complementary types of document within the process design history, fulfilling the task of improving the design information recorded. The second enhancement to Kbds eases the navigation of the design history by categorizing design objects according to a user-defined set of keywords. The categorization of design objects is carried out semiautomatically using, in part, the various design representations (documents) enabled through the first extension and enables rapid navigation of the design network. Finally, a method of checking the consistency of design rationale structures using keywords is also described. Thus, various representations may be used to generate keywords that in turn may be used to improve the quality of design rationale records. An example showing this situation is described.