1.11.     Conclusion

The analysis of situated interpretation argues that only people’s tacit preunderstanding can make information meaningful in context. Neither people nor computers alone can take advantage of the huge stores of data required for many design tasks; such information is valueless unless designers can use it in their interpretations of design situations. The data handling capabilities of computers should be used to support the uniquely human ability to understand. The theory of computer support for interpretation in design suggests that several characteristics of human understanding and collaboration can be supported with mechanisms like those in Hermes for refining representations of the design situation, alternative perspectives, and linguistic expressions. The theory provides a coherent framework for a principled approach to computer support for designers’ situated interpretation in the age of information overload.

In elaborating the argument of the previous paragraph, this dissertation seeks to make three kinds of contributions: to a philosophy of interpretation, to a theory of computer support, and to a system for innovative design.

*    It makes a philosophic contribution by clarifying the foundations of situated cognition theory in Heidegger’s philosophy of interpretation and extending that philosophy through an analysis of interpretation in design and through a theory of computer support for interpretation in design.

*    It makes a contribution to computer science by arguing that systems to augment human skills in innovative design should be oriented toward providing support for the processes of interpretation.

*    It makes a practical contribution by prototyping three crucial mechanisms for design environments: a hypermedia substrate that integrates a perspectives mechanism and an end-user language.

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This page last modified on January 05, 2004