On some unique features of C-K theory of design

Concept-Knowledge theory (C-K theory) of design is a relatively new theory for describing reasoning and creative processes in engineering design. This paper describes some unique features of this theory. In particular, it is shown that C-K theory encompasses logical inferences that are more complex than classical abduction. A design process in C-K theory is rather motivation-driven and this motivation can be quantified by the concept called information content (entropy) measured under epistemic uncertainty. Since the Internet-driven information will play a major role in performing engineering design (building concept, acquiring domain knowledge, and alike) in the near future, the scope and limitation of building a C-K map by using the Internet is described. This provides some unexplored issues of engineering design.