INTERPRETATION IN DESIGN:

THE PROBLEM OF

TACIT AND EXPLICIT UNDERSTANDING

IN COMPUTER SUPPORT OF COOPERATIVE DESIGN
by

GERRY STAHL

B.S., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1967

University of Heidelberg, Germany, 1968

M.A., Northwestern University, 1971

University of Frankfurt, Germany, 1973

Ph.D., Northwestern University, 1975

M.S., University of Colorado, 1990




A thesis submitted to the

Faculty of the Graduate School of the

University of Colorado in partial fulfillment

of the requirement for the degree of

Doctor of Philosophy

Department of Computer Science

1993

This dissertation for the Doctor of Philosophy degree by

Gerry Stahl

has been approved for the

Department of

Computer Science

by
Gerhard Fischer
Raymond J. McCall, Jr.
Date: August 5, 1993

Dissertation Committee:

Gerhard Fischer, Computer Science (co-chair)

Raymond McCall, Environmental Design (co-chair)

Clayton Lewis Computer Science

Mark Gross Environmental Design

Michael Eisenberg Computer Science

Wayne Citrin Electrical and Computer Engineering

Stahl, Gerry (Ph.D., Computer Science)

INTERPRETATION IN DESIGN:

THE PROBLEM OF TACIT AND EXPLICIT UNDERSTANDING

IN COMPUTER SUPPORT OF COOPERATIVE DESIGN

Abstract

This work analyzes the central role of interpretation in non-routine design. Based on this analysis, a theory of computer support for interpretation in cooperative design is constructed. The theory is grounded in studies of design and interpretation. It is illustrated by mechanisms provided by a software substrate for computer-based design environments, applied to a sample task of lunar habitat design.

Computer support of innovative design must overcome the problem that designers necessarily make extensive use of situated tacit understanding while computers can only store and display explicit representations of information. The automation techniques used for routine design are not applicable: techniques are needed to support creative, tacit human understanding with explicit computer representations.

The process by which designers transform their tacit preunderstanding into explicit knowledge is termed "interpretation". Interpretation is necessary for solving design problems and collaborating with other designers. Considerable explicit knowledge is thereby generated in the natural course of designing. Often this knowledge includes the most valuable information that can be presented to designers who revisit these design projects or undertake similar projects in the future. If representations of this knowledge have been defined using computer-based design support systems, then the representations can be captured by these systems for the support of subsequent design work.

A theory of computer support for interpretation in design is presented in three stages. First, the role of interpretation in design is explored by reviewing descriptions of design by Alexander, Rittel, and Schön; by conducting a protocol analysis of lunar habitat design; and by applying Heidegger's philosophy of situated interpretation. Second, this analysis of interpretation is extended to define a theory of computer support. The features of this theory-support for the situated, perspectival, and linguistic characteristics of interpretation-are used to evaluate previous work on software design rationale systems. Third, design principles are discussed for HERMES, a prototype hypermedia substrate for building computer-based design environments to support interpretation in tasks like lunar habitat design. The hypermedia integrates a perspectives mechanism and an end-user language to capture and modify representations of the design situation, alternative perspectives on design tasks, and terminology for conceptualizing design issues.

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