TASK COMPLEXITY AND DESIGN SCIENCE

Design problems manifest themselves in many ways. Before anything resembling a true "science of design" can emerge, tools for classifying the design task must be developed. One such tool involves the task complexity construct, which comes in three distinct forms: objective complexity, problem space complexity and lack of structure. These forms, which can appear individually or in combination, each demand different approaches to the design task. Objective complexity entails a process dominated by search. Problem space complexity is often addressed by the accumulation of design rules. Lack of structure can benefit from the creation of different types of models. This paper describes the task complexity construct and explores using a mix of theory and examples its relationship to design.