An `AI in Design' View of Design
System Knowledge

Rationale

Is there any rationale stored or used in connection with the decisions taken?
What kind of decisions does it support?

e.g., design decisions, conflict resolution decisions, etc.

Discussion. Rationale serves as a support for various types of decisions [Lee 1997]. It may include arguments for and against a given decision. Therefore, rationale is important during selection between alternative decisions. Its utility is also evident in redesign situations, to avoid repeating evaluations and to prevent re-selection of previously discovered poor choices. In a multi-agent environment, rationale becomes an ingredient in solving conflicts among agents supporting different decisions [Klein 1991]. Another significant application of rationale can be found in providing explanations to the user, to justify actions taken during design development.

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