ABSTRACT
This chapter presents the background and motivation for the development of a class of computerized design aiding systems we call case-based design aids (CBDAs). CBDAs focus on the needs of designers engaged in conceptual design, the earliest design stage in which the designer analyzes the problem specification, discovers the design issues that need to be addressed, and works out a solution framework. CBDAs make a library of design cases available to designers as they are doing conceptual design, allowing easy access to useful cases. In effect, a CBDA makes access to the experiences of others easier and extends the set of available cases. The ways access is provided to these design cases is intended to fit with the process of conceptual design. Thus, CBDAs are organized to support browsing directed at four different ends: initial problem orientation and issue discovery; issue understanding and elaboration; directed issue and tradeoff exploration; and proposal critiquing and evaluation.
