Lotus 1-2-3 Release 3: Reference MAanual

v, Ind.; 24 c

Interaction Paradigms for Human-Computer Cooperation in Design

Computer-aided-design (CAD) systems are now used to design all kinds of artifacts, from jet fighters to works of art. A major challenge in the design of a CAD system itself is the user interface (UI). Developing the UI to a CAD system raises myriad questions about input devices and techniques, display devices and techniques, and the details of the dialogue that relates the two. But these questions are ancillary to one central question: what is the fundamental nature of the interaction between human and computer in the design process supported by the CAD system? Is the design activity essentially manual, with the computer playing the role of passive tool, like a pen or paintbrush? Or is the computer augmenting the human designer by actively restricting available design choices, or by playing the role of critic or "improver"? Or maybe the interaction paradigm is one of "interactive evolution," in which the computer is responsible for generating design alternatives, with the human merely ..