Towards a Shared Computational Support Environment for Engineering Design

Abstract

This paper presents an outline of an architecture for shared computational environments for engineering design based on studies on the nature of engineering design conducted from cognitive and social points of view. The basic thesis of this paper is that a group of designers in performing a design task use a variety of engineering and management oriented models and that an environment that supports the design process will have to accommodate the different modeling paradigms within a single integrated framework. Further, the environment should facilitate the negotiation process that is characteristic of a multi-person design process.