Communication functions and the adaptation of design representations in interdisciplinary teams

ABSTRACT

Design representations in user-centered design serve intentions for directing design process and communication functions for enlisting interdisciplinary participation. To disentangle these two factors, a vocabulary for identifying communication functions in design is proposed. This vocabulary, drawn from a selective review of empirical studies of design activity in architecture and engineering, is then applied to three design cases from user-centered design. This analysis shows how representational use is subject to adaptive pressure from the communication demands in interdisciplinary teams. The consequences of this pressure for understanding the nature of design are discussed.

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Index Terms

• Human-centered computing

  • Human computer interaction (HCI)

    • HCI design and evaluation methods

    • HCI theory, concepts and models

  • Interaction design

    • Interaction design process and methods

      • User centered design

    • Interaction design theory, concepts and paradigms

• Social and professional topics

  • Professional topics

    • Management of computing and information systems

      • Project and people management

        • Systems analysis and design