A mathematical theory of design - Representation of design artifacts (PartI)

This study presents a Formal General Design Theory (FGDT), a mathematical t heory of design. The main goal of FGDT is to lay out a domain independent m odeling of design artifacts ('Part I') and the design process ('Part II'). We discuss issues such as: the scope of the theory with respect to real des ign and the guidelines it provides for building CAD systems, representation of design artifacts, idealized design process cycle, and computational com plexity analysis. Treating FGDT as a model aims at developing a generally a ccepted core of design theory. We also point out the possibilities that suc h a model opens in terms of studying conceptual design (for example, modeli ng the relation between design and quality).