ABSTRACT
This paper does not deal specifically with the use of computing in social sciences-rather the subject considered is design. We believe, however, that the way of working described has general application in the social sciences. In design, computers are often seen as offering new forms of media, image-making, and information resource, for example virtual reality, three-dimensional modelling, painting systems and databases. Working with computer-based media is different to working with pen and paper, paint, models or the like, and design practice is bound to change as practitioners learn to deal with both its limitations and possibilities. This is understood to the extent that most design courses now include modules dealing with IT, computer-aided design, computer-based image-making and design databases. Important as these uses of the computer are, other equally important applications of computer-based technology should be considered by both designers and educators. For example, computers can provide an infrastructure for mediating collaborative design. When computers are used in this way the final artefacts, even their visualization and representation during the design process, may be largely non-digital and produced using conventional media and tools.
