Claudia Iacob

A design pattern mining method for interaction design

This paper reports on a design pattern mining method addressing pattern mining in interaction design. The method aims at identifying proven solutions to recurring design problems through design workshops and software application analysis. During a design workshop, a team of 3-5 designers is asked to design the GUI and the interaction process for an application in the domain of the mining process and the design issues they address are collected. Moreover, a set of software applications in the area of the mining process is analyzed in order to identify in what measure the design issues discussed during the workshops are considered in the implementation of existing applications. Candidates for being documented as design patterns are the most recurring design issues in both the workshops and the software analysis. The paper describes the method together with its application in mining for design patterns for the design of synchronous collaborative systems.

A habitable space for supporting creative collaboration

The complexity and the increasing scale of design projects require stakeholders from different disciplines to collaborate together. This paper addresses the challenge of bridging communication gaps raised during collaborative design activities, with a meta-design socio-technical approach — namely, design for participation and creative collaboration — leading to an evolutionary process. Based experience derived from a Software Shaping Workshop (SSW), we propose a novel hive mind space (HMS). This model introduces a boundary zone, serving as a communication channel allowing Communities of Practice (CoPs) to create and exchange knowledge. Thus, as opposed to being excluded from the design process, the CoPs can actively participate in the design activity and perform their tasks collaboratively and creatively. We describe the structure of the hive mind space and propose a possible way to implement it into a case study example — the Valchiavenna Museum.

Identifying, relating, and evaluating design patterns for the design of software for synchronous collaboration

Many working environments require that geographically-distributed or co-located work group members work together - supported by software - in developing and refining one commonly shared resource in the same time. Hence, synchronous collaboration is common to various contexts and domains, examples being drawing, searching, text editing, and game solving. However, little work has been done in identifying design patterns for the design of systems for such collaboration. This line of research aims at identifying, relating and evaluating such design patterns for providing: a). a better understanding of the design processes of synchronous collaborative software, and b). a repository of knowledge comprising best practices in such design processes for practitioners.

Using design patterns in collaborative interaction design processes

This work aims at investigating and measuring the impact a collection of design patterns would have on collaborative interaction design processes. An initial case study was conducted involving 18 teams of students in Computer Science. Making use of a collection of design patterns for the design of synchronous applications, they were asked to design the GUI and the interaction process of applications which support synchronous collaboration in activities such as drawing, text editing, game solving, and searching. The results obtained through the case study focused on understanding: a) whether the format and the content of a collection of design patterns are easy to understand for novice designers, b) the strategies novice designers develop in working with a collection of design patterns, and c) the overall impact of using design patterns in collaborative design processes.

Design patterns in the design of systems for creative collaborative processes

Creative collaborative processes are more than often characterized by the synchronous collaboration of stakeholders with different backgrounds and expertise. However, little work has been done in identifying design patterns for the design of software systems which support such collaboration. This line of research aims at identifying such design patterns following a two-phase pattern mining process: 1). the analysis of the results of a series of design workshops during which participants would design applications for synchronous collaboration, and 2). the analysis of a set of software applications which support synchronous collaboration in drawing, text editing, searching, and games.

On the use of design patterns in collaborative design processes

Even if the usefulness of a knowledge repository represented as a collection of design patterns is largely recognized in the literature, little work has been done in investigating and measuring the impact such a collection would have on collaborative design processes involving designers. The paper describes the results of a case study designed to bring some insight into the matter. 18 design workshops were conducted with 18 teams of undergraduate students in Computer Science. Making use of a collection of design patterns for the design of synchronous applications, they were asked to design the GUI and the interaction process of applications which support synchronous collaboration in activities such as drawing, text editing, game solving, and searching. To answer the questions addressed by the case study, the results of the workshops were triangulated from: i) audio recordings of the conversations of each team, ii) notes taken on the participants interactions by a facilitator present during the workshops, and iii) feedback provided by each participant through a questionnaire, at the end of each workshop.

Design Patterns as Tools to Support Social Creativity and Knowledge Management in Collaborative Design Processes

This paper addresses the problem of knowledge creation, integration and dissemination in communities of software designers. The solution identified is represented by design patterns, tools to support social creativity providing a way of capturing and sharing knowledge related to design problems arising in creative collaborative design processes. Inter-related design problems are documented by inter-related design patterns, which form pattern languages. The paper describes design patterns and pattern languages and illustrates the ways in which they support social creativity and knowledge creation, integration and dissemination in communities of software designers.