Workshop format:
The workshop will focus on analysis of a common data set which was gathered during a particular study of sketching. Participants will be sent a copy of the data set and will be tasked with producing a short paper describing how the data could be analysed in order to inform the development of software intended for supporting conceptual design. These papers will be shared prior to the workshop, and a small number of participants will be asked to present their papers in order to promote discussion.

Workshop scope:
Despite the widespread use of CAD systems in visual design it is generally accepted that such systems do not adequately support the early explorative stages of the design process. It is argued that this is because the models, procedures and operations of CAD systems are unsympathetic to the processes and techniques employed by designers in the early stages of design. In particular, construction of a CAD model is slow, and the resulting models are mathematically precise and do not afford modification or reinterpretation. Conversely, studies of sketching reveal that when exploring design concepts designers often produce scores of sketches in quick succession. Within each sketch, patterns and associations are discovered that lead to further sketching where these emergent forms are manipulated to inform developing design concepts. Indeed, it is argued that this reinterpretation of ambiguous sketches is a vital element in the exploration of designs and is believed to be a decisive component of innovative design.

For this workshop, it is proposed that in order to develop software that augments design exploration it is first necessary to understand the processes and techniques employed by designers in the early stages of design. This can be achieved to a certain extent by observing designers as they explore design ideas via sketching. For example, studies of sketching have revealed:

   - the patterns and associations that designers see in their sketches
   - the cognitive processes employed by designers
   - the mechanisms of shape transformation used to modify and explore sketches

The workshop aims to provide a forum whereby the results of a sketching study can be analysed and discussed with the ultimate goal of informing a new generation of CAD systems.

Submission information:
Interest in the workshop should be expressed as soon as possible by contacting the workshop chair, who will provide a copy of the data set. The data was gathered during a particular study of sketching, in which three industiral designers were asked to explore a design brief, starting from a common initial concept. The data set includes the brief that the participants were asked to address along with video in which the actions of the participants are recorded from two perspectives - first, from overhead using a mounted video-camera, and second according to pen strokes which were recorded using a tablet type input device. This data is augmented by copies of the sketches produced, and video recordings of retrospective interviews in which participants were shown their sketches and asked to report on their development. In total the video included will not exceed one hour.

Papers should be submitted before the 16th of May and should contain a short proposal concerning how the author/s would analyse the data set. An example of this analysis should be provided along with an indication of the expected results and a suggestion of how these results could influence the development of software intended to support designers in the early, conceptual stages of design. In particular, authors may want to address one or more of the following issues:

   - Creative Design
   - Design Exploration
   - The Sketching Process
   - Design Synthesis
   - Human-computer interaction

Papers should be 1500-3000 words in length and should be submitted electronically in the conference paper format (PDF , RTF) to the workshop chair

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