A framework for design rationale capture and use during geometry design

Abstract

Despite broad agreement on the utility of design rationale use and capture, a review of the relevant literature shows that industrial usage remains limited, especially during geometry design.

An initial field study confirmed low design rationale capture during the geometry design stage. The lack of linking between design rationale and geometry models is identified as a factor holding back design rationale capture.

A toolset is presented to link entities in geometry models to design rationale, allowing the creation of design rationale referring to a specific geometry design decision. Using the design rationale links it is possible to create graphs of the structure of geometry models and attached rationale. Furthermore the presence and quantity of design rationale can be displayed as a coloured overlay on the geometry.

The toolset has been tested by 7 groups of student-designers, and although the uptake of the design rationale linking tool by the users was low, results show that groups using the tool captured relatively more design rationale during geometry design, although reservations have to be made regarding to self-selection bias. The study shows that the availability of design rationale linking tools is not by itself enough to improve design rationale capture during geometry design.

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