Decomposing complex design problems is an important component of design processes. When a design problem is too complex to solve all at once, the problem is decomposed into manageable subproblems. Previous work on design processes has identified some general decomposition patterns and has studied how individual designers decompose design problems; this study examines the way variables are grouped into subproblems, the process of decomposition, and whether small teams use similar decomposition patterns. Data were collected from five teams as they solved a facility design problem, and the subproblems that they considered were analyzed and compared. Using a mix of qualitative and quantitative analysis techniques, we examined (1) whether their subproblems group tightly coupled design variables (and separate weakly coupled variables); (2) whether their decompositions (subproblems and the sequence in which they were solved) follow a top–down design process; and (3) whether different teams used the same decompositions. Our results suggest that teams followed a partial top–down design process that moved from breadth- to depth-first search, and that subproblems were often driven by two types of coupling among design variables. However, the inconsistency of observed approaches suggests that there is room for improvement in how human designers decompose problems. By identifying these issues, the results lay a foundation for future research to provide better support for human designers in decomposing problems.

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设计问题分解：小型设施设计师团队的实证研究

分解复杂的设计问题是设计过程的重要组成部分。当设计问题太复杂而无法一次性解决时，问题会被分解为可管理的子问题。以前关于设计过程的工作已经确定了一些通用的分解模式，并研究了个别设计师如何分解设计问题；本研究考察了将变量分组为子问题的方式、分解过程以及小团队是否使用类似的分解模式。五个团队在解决设施设计问题时收集了数据，并对他们考虑的子问题进行了分析和比较。使用定性和定量分析技术的组合，我们检查了 (1) 它们的子问题是否将紧密耦合的设计变量分组（和分离的弱耦合变量）；(2)它们的分解（子问题和解决它们的顺序）是否遵循自上而下的设计过程；(3) 不同的团队是否使用相同的分解。我们的结果表明，团队遵循部分自上而下的设计过程，从广度优先搜索转向深度优先搜索，并且子问题通常由设计变量之间的两种耦合类型驱动。然而，观察到的方法的不一致表明人类设计师分解问题的方式还有改进的余地。通过识别这些问题，结果为未来的研究奠定了基础，为人类设计者分解问题提供了更好的支持。我们的结果表明，团队遵循部分自上而下的设计过程，从广度优先搜索转向深度优先搜索，并且子问题通常由设计变量之间的两种耦合类型驱动。然而，观察到的方法的不一致表明人类设计师分解问题的方式还有改进的余地。通过识别这些问题，结果为未来的研究奠定了基础，为人类设计者分解问题提供了更好的支持。我们的结果表明，团队遵循部分自上而下的设计过程，从广度优先搜索转向深度优先搜索，并且子问题通常由设计变量之间的两种耦合类型驱动。然而，观察到的方法的不一致表明人类设计师分解问题的方式还有改进的余地。通过识别这些问题，结果为未来的研究奠定了基础，为人类设计者分解问题提供了更好的支持。