Conceptual Models and Theories of Design and Development

Conceptual models and theories regarding the design and development process convey insights about that process on a high level of abstraction and generality, without prescribing in detail how it should be approached. This chapter discusses a selection of such contributions to convey and relate some of the well-known work. An overview of the area covering three levels of scope is provided: the micro-level, concerning the individual designer’s thought processes when undertaking generic design activity; the meso-level, concerning how the work changes as a design progresses; and the macro level, at which the design and development process is conceptualised as a complex system in itself.