| Abstract
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A design rationale is an explanation of wh … A design rationale is an explanation of why something is designedas it is. In this paper we analyze the sources of knowledge andinference underlying design rationale. We examine protocols ofpeople talking about designs in several domains to identify kindsof design information that are requested and used. We classifythe information types along dimensions including the source of theinformation, how the information is or could be captured, andwhether it is retrieved or inferred. We find that the sources ofknowledge used to explain a design are manifold, including modelsof the artifact and how it works, models of design methods anddecision making processes, and understanding of the intendedfunctionality and other requirements. We observe that designrationale explanations are often constructed from several of thesesources, supported by activities such as information retrieval,simulation, hypothesis testing, and decision making. , hypothesis testing, and decision making.
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