ABSTRACT
The US Navy has adopted Set-Based Design (SBD) as the preferred design method for addressing increasingly complex naval products. SBD requires functional groups to create and negotiate design spaces, as well as to manage convergence of the intersection of these regions over time. While there has been significant research conducted on negotiated spaces, little has been done to understand the creation of design spaces from the outset of the SBD process. Understanding initial design space landscapes is crucial to effectively implement SBD. The creation of design spaces is predicated by the design tools used to generate design knowledge. This concept paper investigates the creation of design space information from the outset of the SBD process to understand whether employed tools predicate design spaces, if proper negotiation channels are open between design groups, and if all appropriate parties are involved in set negotiations. Previous research is leveraged to create an integrated design space network, based on representative design tools. This network is analyzed using information theory to determine inherent hierarchical network structures, which provides insight to the landscape of design spaces using the limited information present in early design stages.
