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Problem solving through design of systems and physical artifacts is a professional activity with major financial significance. Problems in modern society tend to grow more complex and intricate, and as a response, systems grow larger. Therefore, design increasingly has also become a collaborative task. Design in itself already is challenging but collaboration adds its own challenges into the mix. In this paper, we explore the challenges of collaborative design. We approach the research problem through design science research framework; we synthesize the knowledge base and expert experiences from the environment to propositions about the challenges of collaborative design. By forging theme propositions we lay a ground for design and development of better support for collaborative design.

With the rapid development of economic globalization, more and more complex products have to be designed by the cooperation of the designers in different geographic locations. The effective sharing and deployment of collaborative design software are of great significance to enhance the capability of cooperative research and development of products. To solve the problem of software integration for collaborative design in the distributed and heterogeneous environment, a distributed software integration framework for collaborative product design based on Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) was proposed. Based on Web Service technology, a collaborative design platform was built, which encapsulates the functions of Computer Aided Design (CAD), Computer Aided Engineering (CAE), Product Data Management (PDM) and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software to integrate distributed collaborative design software in heterogeneous environment.

In order to meet the requirements of product information sharing and exchange in collaborative design, a design model sharing method was put forward for multidisciplinary domains cooperation. The creation and release mechanism of shared information model were represented. A collaborative product design framework was established based on the sharing model. An application sharing mode of message-driven design was achieved in which information expression approach is built by XML. So packaging and transmission of the shared design information were implemented in collaborative process. An effective solution of information interaction interdisciplinary domains was proposed for collaborative design process.

Innovative design management in architecture is urgently required due to the escalating complexity of building projects. At present, collaborative design must deal with multidimensional technical and social complexities. This paper critically appraises different design management approaches that are the implications of different ways of seeing design. It distinguishes the view that focuses on the end product of design from the one that focuses on the creation process. The last one includes design-methodological, engineering, and social psychological approach. For a successful implementation, different approaches have to be used complementarily. Therefore, a coherent design management framework is needed.

A novel approach for partitioning and coordinating the collaborative design optimization of complex systems is described. A partitioning metric has been formulated to select the best partitioning solutions among the total possibilities of dividing the complex design optimization problem. Then, an agent-supported approach is used for the coordination of the collaborative design optimization. The approach has been applied to the case of a preliminary design of an electric vehicle, to demonstrate how various agents can effectively communicate with each other to provide support to the collaborative design optimization of complex systems.

This paper develops an integrated electric power engineering hydrometeorological surveying system using the electric power engineering hydrometeorological design process to refine hydrometeorological characteristics in accordance with the problems of electric power engineering hydrometeorological survey. Practical application demonstrates that the system has good usability, extensibility, economic value, and satisfies the requirements of collaborative design.