| The goal of this work is to suggest ways of improving design representations in computer environments in order to support creative design work.; In order to achieve this goal, the following issues are explored: (1) the connection between computers and creativity, (2) the nature of design problems, (3) the characteristics of design processes used to solve these problems, (4) the knowledge and information involved in design, and (5) the way this knowledge is represented to facilitate creative design exploration.; These issues are explored from both theoretical and empirical perspectives. A review of theories from literature is presented, then a description of an empirical study; the findings from these two approaches are used to construct a model which suggests a new way of describing design, based on the hierarchical order common to individual design problems, the processes of solving them, and the way they are represented. The model is used to analyse a design process and depict the settings of creative instances within it.; The review of theories on design practices and their representations reveals that design sketching is not only a means for representing data, it is also a means of enhancing design thinking itself. This issue requires further study and is not completely resolved in this project.; The conclusion of this work suggests that design sketches offer unique abilities in representing design. Therefore, any representation scheme in CAD should attempt to incorporate these abilities in order to support creative design practice. |
