An `AI in Design' View of Design
Problem Description

Theory

Is there an underlying theory which is used for design?

{a design theory, a domain theory}

Discussion. Theories group together all the knowledge specific for a class of problems or a domain. Design theories set up formalisms for solving a particular type of problem (e.g., configuration problems). The formalism represents the framework which guides the design problem solving. The domain theories bring together all the knowledge describing the physical problem domain. They usually define the space in which solutions for the design problem can be found.

What entities does this theory use?

e.g., definitions, algorithms, physical laws, equations, influence graphs, etc.

Discussion. The ingredients of a theory bear on the practical design tools. Theory ingredients map directly onto knowledge types, which in turn confine us to the tools capable to operate with these representations. For example, axiomatic approaches based on definitions lend themselves to logic based representations and to logic programming approaches. Equations are often seen as constraints and solved with constraint satisfaction tools.

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