The Charrette Test Method

This paper discusses validation of an evaluation process in building design. We claim that it both matches designers' cognitive activities and is implementable as software that partially automates the process. The working SME system provides evidence for the latter claim. An example of the Cyclotron Suite shows that the software can automatically create a product model of a building as the result of performing design activities including evaluation. This paper presents methods that we used to provide evidence that the software and the design theories that it embodies are usable by other designers. We developed and used the Charrette Test Method for testing the effectiveness of computing methods. We report on its use to develop evidence for the general suitability of SME and its effectiveness in aiding the design evaluation process. The experiment compares a manual process of solving a design evaluation problem to a partially automated process using the SME prototype.