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The structure of Design Problem Spaces
Author(s) -
Goel Vinod,
Pirolli Peter
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
cognitive science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.498
H-Index - 114
eISSN - 1551-6709
pISSN - 0364-0213
DOI - 10.1207/s15516709cog1603_3
Subject(s) - task (project management) , computer science , set (abstract data type) , space (punctuation) , human–computer interaction , invariant (physics) , architecture , task analysis , theoretical computer science , mathematics , programming language , engineering , systems engineering , operating system , art , visual arts , mathematical physics
It is proposed that there are important generalizations about problem solving in design activity that reach across specific disciplines. A framework for the study of design is presented that (a) characterizes design as a radial category and fleshes out the task environment of the prototypical cases; (b) takes the task environment seriously; (c) shows that this task environment occurs in design tasks, but does not occur in every nondesign task; (d) explicates the impact of this task environment on the design problem space; and (e) demonstrates that, given the structure of the information‐processing system, the features noted in the problem spaces of design tasks will not all occur in problem spaces where the task environment is vastly different. This analysis leads to the claim that there are a set of invariant features in the problem spaces of design situations that collectively constitute a design problem space . Protocol studies are reported in which the problem spaces of three design tasks in architecture, mechanical engineering, and instructional design are explored and compared with several protocols from nondesign problem‐solving tasks.