ABSTRACT
This chapter considers the problem of creative design, and in particular the role of a priori knowledge or ‘prototypes’ in the design process. A design problem is characterized as one in which both the objectives and the means available for achieving these objectives are (of necessity) initially only poorly defined. Some observations concerning the nature of design process based on this characterization are presented, and a model of the design process as a knowledge-based exploration task is described. The role of prototypes in organizing this knowledge is examined, and the widely accepted view that prototypes can form the principal source of knowledge for creativity in design is challenged. In a final section we outline the structural principles of a representation scheme that aims to overcome some of these difficulties and describe a design support system that uses this scheme to support the design process.
