Re-representation: Affordances of Shared Models in Team-Based Design

Abstract

The use of media within the process of designing new products has not been directed by rigorous research findings. In this chapter a media-model framework is discussed, which categorizes media according to levels of resolution and abstraction. This framework can be used to assess characteristics of various models and as a general guide for discerning differences between media types. Designers can utilize the media-model framework to make informed judgments about appropriate prototyping and modeling approaches within various stages of the design process. New research in the application of media-models to Business Process Modeling (BPM), which traditionally employs electronic media (in the form of complex computer-generated flow-charts) aids in the generation of Business Process Models. This research has resulted in the development of an innovative modeling tool, called Tangible Business Process Modeling, or TBPM.