Understanding design communication in internet-enabled remote synchronous collaborative design in the early stages of design

Abstract

Remote synchronous collaborative design necessitates designers to carry out the design process using web-based real-time communication applications for collaboration with co-designers. Design communication involves exchanging multi-modal representations such as sketches, diagrams, CAD drawings, worksheets, etc., with co-designers to communicate design. This thesis aims to develop a taxonomy and build an understanding of remote-synchronous collaborative design sessions with a focus on designers’ digital actions for communicating visual representations in the early stages of design. Through an observational study of fourteen design teams, the thesis aims to investigate whether there are differences in the representational actions of designers within the conceptual stage. Video recordings of design sessions were analysed by a coding method derived from the taxonomy developed. Machine learning models were developed for predicting the conceptual design phases using the study data of screen recordings and coded datasets.