Short answer
Develop a consistent language to describe the iterative changes and relationships between design artifacts throughout a project's lifecycle and across related projects.
- Field
- Innovation & Design
- Source
- Journal of the Association for Information Systems (2019)
- Method
- Conceptual mapping and comparative analysis
- Evidence
- Moderate effect
Adopting evolutionary concepts provides a structured vocabulary for describing the iterative development and lineage of design artifacts. This innovation & design research insight is drawn from a 2019 study published in Journal of the Association for Information Systems. Using Conceptual mapping and comparative analysis, researchers explored how this design variable affects real-world outcomes. The key design takeaway: Develop a consistent language to describe the iterative changes and relationships between design artifacts throughout a project's lifecycle and across related projects.
Evolutionary Metaphors Enhance Design Artifact Tracking
Adopting evolutionary concepts provides a structured vocabulary for describing the iterative development and lineage of design artifacts.
Journal of the Association for Information Systems · 2019
Key Findings
- 01Seven concepts from biological evolution can be usefully applied to describe evolving design artifacts.
- 02Existing design studies often implicitly address these evolutionary concepts without a standardized vocabulary.
- 03A proposed terminology can enhance the rigor and relevance of design research by clarifying artifact evolution.
Application
Design takeaway
Develop a consistent language to describe the iterative changes and relationships between design artifacts throughout a project's lifecycle and across related projects.
How to apply
When documenting a design project, explicitly describe how current artifacts have evolved from previous versions, using terms that reflect concepts like divergence, convergence, or adaptation.
Project actions
- 01When you create new versions of your designs, think about what changed and why, and try to describe it using evolutionary terms.
- 02Consider how your current design relates to earlier ideas or prototypes you've worked on.
Method & Evidence
Variables
Strengths & Limitations
Strengths
- +Provides a novel framework for a common but often unarticulated aspect of design practice.
- +Connects design research to established scientific principles, potentially increasing rigor.
Limitations
It might be challenging to find direct evolutionary parallels for every design change, and the terminology might feel abstract initially.
Reliability & validity
The reliability of the terminology depends on consistent application by researchers. Validity is supported by its ability to describe existing design evolution and its potential to enhance communication and rigor.
Think critically
To what extent can evolutionary metaphors accurately capture the complex, often non-linear, process of design innovation, and what are the potential pitfalls of oversimplifying design development through such analogies?
Design Principles
"Document the evolutionary path of design artifacts using a consistent and descriptive vocabulary."
Understanding how design artifacts evolve over time is crucial for maintaining design rigor and relevance. A shared terminology allows for clearer communication about the history and relationships between different versions of a design, fostering more robust design science and knowledge transfer.
What This Means for Your Design
Think of how a species evolves over time. We can use similar ideas to talk about how a design changes from one version to the next, making it easier to understand its history.
How to use in your project
- 1.Use the proposed evolutionary terminology to describe the iterative development of your design solutions in your design project documentation.
- 2.Explain how your final artifact is a result of a series of 'evolutions' from earlier concepts or prototypes.
Add to My Project
Quick Cite
Paragraph starter
The iterative nature of this design project necessitated a clear understanding of artifact evolution. By applying concepts analogous to biological evolution, such as divergence from initial concepts and adaptation to user feedback, the progression from early sketches to the final CAD model can be systematically documented, highlighting the lineage and rationale behind each significant design transformation.
Source
Journal of the Association for Information Systems
Terminology for Evolving Design Artifacts.
journal · 2019
View sourceQuestions About This Research
- What does the research say about evolutionary metaphors enhance design artifact tracking?
- Develop a consistent language to describe the iterative changes and relationships between design artifacts throughout a project's lifecycle and across related projects. Evidence: Journal of the Association for Information Systems (2019).
- Why does "Evolutionary Metaphors Enhance Design Artifact Tracking" matter for design?
- Understanding how design artifacts evolve over time is crucial for maintaining design rigor and relevance. A shared terminology allows for clearer communication about the history and relationships between different versions of a design, fostering more robust design science and knowledge transfer.
- How can designers apply this research?
- Develop a consistent language to describe the iterative changes and relationships between design artifacts throughout a project's lifecycle and across related projects.
- What were the main findings?
- Seven concepts from biological evolution can be usefully applied to describe evolving design artifacts.. Existing design studies often implicitly address these evolutionary concepts without a standardized vocabulary.. A proposed terminology can enhance the rigor and relevance of design research by clarifying artifact evolution.
- What research method was used?
- Conceptual mapping and comparative analysis.
- How strong is the evidence?
- Evidence strength is rated Moderate effect, based on a 2019 journal from Journal of the Association for Information Systems.
- What should I do differently in my next project?
- When documenting a design project, explicitly describe how current artifacts have evolved from previous versions, using terms that reflect concepts like divergence, convergence, or adaptation.
- What are the limitations?
- The terminology is primarily focused on conceptual modeling and may require adaptation for other design domains. The application of the terminology in practice needs further validation.