Problem and design spaces during object-oriented design: an exploratory study

The information system design process is not well understood in spite of a rich literature stream dealing with the general notion of 'design'. The few studies of IS designer behaviors that are reported in IS have focused on small tasks in single sessions, and have ignored the impact of modeling techniques on the design process. In this paper, we report preliminary results based on a study of two designers engaged in a multi-session design task using the object-oriented design modeling techniques. We use an extended version of the model proposed by Adelson and Soloway to analyze the verbal protocols. Our observations and interpretations focus on the existence of problem and design spaces and designers' use of these during design. Specifically, we discuss the distinction between problem and design spaces during object-oriented design, the shifts in emphasis between problem and design spaces, and changes in designer behaviors between the two spaces.