Complexity science in collaborative design

Abstract

Bringing designers together as successful design teams is investigated in the context of the science of complex systems. The relational structure inherent in design defines multilevel multidimensional networks, which can represent part-whole hierarchies in design. Design is presented as an iterative top-down and bottom-up process that induces the emergence of desirable properties. This involves the construction and instantiation of multilevel representations. The implications of this are discussed for computer supported collaborative design, and how interaction structures can be designed to support design collaboration. The paper is aimed at a general reader and is self-contained.

Keywords:

• Complex systems
• Collaborative design
• Multilevel systems
• Multidimensional networks

Acknowledgement

I am very grateful to an anonymous referee who pointed out some shortcomings in an earlier version of this paper and suggested ways of improving it. Their comments have given me new insights and taken this research forward.