Developing, Integrating and Testing Rationale Capture Tools

Research Theme: Knowledge Management

A new IBIS-based software tool called DRed has recently been developed by researchers in the University Technology Partnership (UTP) for Design in the Engineering Design Centre (EDC). DRed allows designers to record their design rationale (DR) at the time of its generation and deliberation. The design rationale is displayed in a document as a graph of nodes linked with directed arcs. The user creates the nodes by choosing from a predefined set of element types. The key element types are: issue, answer, and argument.

Motivation

Aerospace engineering design relies heavily on the use of past experience. It is known that engineering designers frequently need to revisit previous design solutions and understand the rationale for their generation. This research is triggered by the need to test and develop DRed.

Objectives

  • To determine if DRed:improves the richness and clarity of the recorded information;
  • has a beneficial effect on the design behaviour by prompting design thinkingand helping designers to view their design process

Method

Initial research has been aimed at determining if DRed improves the richness of the recorded information. DRed documents were analysed to investigate the nature of the key element types. In order to test the richness of the recorded information, DRed documents were compared to Design Definition Reports (DDRs). These reports are generally documented at the end of a design task and are in the form of textual descriptions. The test required the DDRs to be reverse engineered into DRed documents.

Findings

Preliminary results indicated that DRed issues were predominantly phrased as questions. The questions were mainly formed to address design problems. Using DRed, designers mainly captured questions to address the generation and analysis of new solutions. The engineering processes captured and structured in DRed, compared to those presented in the DDRs, were found to be richer in the number of recorded design solutions and in the number of pro and con arguments underpinning those solutions.

Acknowledgements

This project is being undertaken in collaboration with Rolls-Royce plc.

The support for this project of EPSRC, Rolls-Royce plc and BAE SYSTEMS through the UTP for design is acknowledged.