The attention in the development of design support systems is gradually shifting to
conceptual design because of its importance in product realization. However, the …

Abstract This paper proposes Empirical Modelling (EM) as a possible foundation for AI
research outside the logicist framework. EM offers principles for constructing physical …

During conceptual design, a designer may wish to describe a shape vaguely, either
because it is desired that the shape remains flexible or the shape has not yet been defined …

In the earliest stages of engineering design, where ideas and vague tasks predominate, the
dynamics of interaction in creating and organising ideas are at least as important as the …

We propose a model for the concurrent engineering process based on an agent-oriented
approach. Our modelling approach captures the relationships between the attributes …

A new method of modelling, based on agents, observation and experiment, provides a
framework in which to represent behaviour that is immediately experienced rather than …

This introductory chapter gives the reader an orientation for this thesis. Section 1.1 describes
the background to Empirical Modelling (EM). Section 1.2 describes the motivations and aims …

The commercial success of software development depends on innovation [Nar93a].
However, conventional approaches inhibit the development of innovative products that …

The Métis project brings together a global virtual team for the collective creation of an
advocacy advertainment film for the 2008 Bei**g Olympics. This team includes computer …

Any given design process begins with a problem specification, from which a set of
requirements is derived. This set of requirements is not usually well defined at the beginning …