Reflections on practical representation design

Many systems of today show an increase in complexity. Especially large socio-technical systems are in need of methods and techniques for designing and developing efficient and usable solutions. This report takes a look at representation design-an approach to tackle inherent problems of system design. After presenting the basic theory, a practical approach for representation design is discussed. Two central issues are reflected upon in more detail in separate chapters. Firstly, the concept of frames of reference is brought up using concrete examples. Secondly, examples of the use of different forms of reference are looked upon. Two chapters discuss the concepts of searching, browsing and neighbourhoods and the relations between display design and representation design.