The Dark Side of Modularity: How Decomposing Problems can Increase System Complexity

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-53
Author(s):  
Taylan G. Topcu ◽  
Suparna Mukherjee ◽  
Anthony I Hennig ◽  
Zoe Szajnfarber
Keyword(s):  
Design Space ◽  
Selection Process ◽  
Decomposition Process ◽  
Dark Side ◽  
Order Effects ◽  
Space Robotics ◽  
Design Work ◽  
Loosely Coupled ◽  
New Information ◽  
Module Selection

Abstract Decomposition is a dominant design strategy because it enables complex problems to be broken up into loosely-coupled modules that are easier to manage and can be designed in parallel. However, contrary to widely held expectations, we show that complexity can increase substantially when natural system modules are fully decoupled from one another to support parallel design. Drawing on detailed empirical evidence from a NASA space robotics field experiment we explain how new information is introduced into the design space through three complexity addition mechanisms of the decomposition process: interface creation, functional allocation, and second order effects. These findings have important implications for how modules are selected early in the design process and how future decomposition approaches should be developed. Although it is well known that complex systems are rarely fully decomposable and that the decoupling process necessitates additional design work, the literature is predominantly focused on reordering, clustering, and/or grouping based approaches to define module boundaries within a fixed system representation. Consequently, these approaches are unable to account for the (often significant) new information that is added to the design space through the decomposition process. We contend that the observed mechanisms of complexity growth need to be better accounted for during the module selection process in order to avoid unexpected downstream costs. With this work we lay a foundation for valuing these complexity-induced impacts to performance, schedule and cost, earlier in the decomposition process.

When Decomposition Increases Complexity: How Decomposing Introduces New Information Into the Problem Space

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suparna Mukherjee ◽  
Anthony Hennig ◽  
Taylan G. Topcu ◽  
Zoe Szajnfarber
Keyword(s):  
Design Space ◽  
Decomposition Process ◽  
Space Robotics ◽  
Problem Space ◽  
Design Work ◽  
Descriptive Complexity ◽  
Parallel Design ◽  
Design Decomposition ◽  
New Information ◽  
Dominant Design

Abstract Decomposition is a dominant design strategy because it enables complex problems to be broken up into more manageable modules. However, although it is well known that complex systems are rarely fully decomposable, much of the decomposition literature is framed around reordering or clustering processes that optimize an objective function to yield a module assignment. As illustrated in this study, these approaches overlook the fact that decoupling partially decomposeable modules can require significant additional design work, with associated consequences that introduce considerable information to the design space. This paper draws on detailed empirical evidence from a NASA space robotics field experiment to elaborate mechanisms through which the processes of decomposing can add information and associated descriptive complexity to the problem space. Contrary to widely held expectations, we show that complexity can increase substantially when natural system modules are fully decoupled from one another to support parallel design. We explain this phenomenon through two mechanisms: interface creation and functional allocation. These findings have implications for the ongoing discussion of optimal module identification as part of the decomposition process. We contend that the sometimes-significant costs of later stages of design decomposition are not adequately considered in existing methods. With this work we lay a foundation for valuing these performance, schedule and complexity costs earlier in the decomposition process.

scholarly journals An Autocatalytic Network Model of Conceptual Change

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liane Gabora ◽  
Nicole Beckage
Keyword(s):  
Conceptual Change ◽  
Process Model ◽  
Mental Representations ◽  
Pretend Play ◽  
Conceptual Structure ◽  
Earth Model ◽  
Order Effects ◽  
Abstract Thought ◽  
New Information ◽  
The Impact

Reflexively Autocatalytic Foodset-generated (RAF) networks have been used to model the origins of evolutionary processes, both biological (the origin of life) and cultural (the origin of cumulative innovation). The RAF approach tags conceptual shifts with their source, making it uniquely suited to modelling how new ideas grow out of currently available knowledge, studying order effects, and tracking conceptual trajectories within (and across) individuals. Using RAF networks, we develop a step-by-step process model of conceptual change (i.e., the process by which a child becomes an active participant in cultural evolution), focusing on childrens’ mental models of the shape of the earth. Using results from (Vosniadou & Brewer, 1992), we model different trajectories from the flat earth model to the spherical earth model, as well as the impact of other factors, such as pretend play, on cognitive development. As RAFs increase in size and number, they begin to merge and form a maxRAF that bridges previously compartmentalized knowledge. The expanding maxRAF constrains and enables the scaffolding of new conceptual structure. Once most conceptual structure is subsumed by the maxRAF, the child can reliably frame new knowledge and experiences in terms of previous knowledge and experiences, and engage in recursive representational redescription, or abstract thought, at which point the conceptual network becomes a self-organizing structure. The approach distinguishes between mental representations acquired through social learning or individual learning (of existing information), and mental representations obtained through abstract thought (resulting in the generation of new information). We suggest that individual differences in reliance on these information sources culminates in different kinds of conceptual networks and concomitant learning trajectories. These differences may be amplified by differences in the proclivity to spontaneously tailor one’s mode of thought to the situation one is in by modulating the degree of divergence (versus convergence), abstractness (versus concreteness), and context-specificity. We discuss a potential role for the approach in the development of an overarching framework that integrates evolutionary and developmental approaches to cognition.

scholarly journals Bayesian Network Classifiers for Set-Based Collaborative Design

2012 ◽  
Vol 134 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
David W. Shahan ◽  
Carolyn Conner Seepersad
Keyword(s):  
Bayesian Network ◽  
Collaborative Design ◽  
Design Problem ◽  
Design Space ◽  
Expert Knowledge ◽  
Optimization Techniques ◽  
Domain Specific ◽  
Bayesian Network Classifiers ◽  
New Information ◽  
Engineering Design Problems

Complex engineering design problems are often decomposed into a set of interdependent, distributed subproblems that are solved by domain-specific experts. These experts must resolve couplings between the subproblems and negotiate satisfactory, system-wide solutions. Set-based approaches help resolve these couplings by systematically mapping satisfactory regions of the design space for each subproblem and then intersecting those maps to identify mutually satisfactory system-wide solutions. In this paper, Bayesian network classifiers are introduced for mapping sets of promising designs, thereby classifying the design space into satisfactory and unsatisfactory regions. The approach is applied to two example problems—a spring design problem and a simplified, multilevel design problem for an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). The method is demonstrated to offer several advantages over competing techniques, including the ability to represent arbitrarily shaped and potentially disconnected regions of the design space and the ability to be updated straightforwardly as new information about the satisfactory design space is discovered. Although not demonstrated in this paper, it is also possible to interface the classifier with automated search and optimization techniques and to combine expert knowledge with the results of quantitative simulations when constructing the classifiers.

Mobilizing Senior Citizens in Co-Design of Mobile Technology

2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 42-67 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lone Malmborg ◽  
Erik Grönvall ◽  
Jörn Messeter ◽  
Thomas Raben ◽  
Katharina Werner
Keyword(s):  
Mobile Technology ◽  
Ad Hoc ◽  
Senior Citizens ◽  
Organisational Structure ◽  
Methodological Issues ◽  
Design Work ◽  
Loosely Coupled ◽  
Design Culture ◽  
Distributed Platform ◽  
Methodological Considerations

This paper disseminates work from the European Give&Take project, which aims at co-designing service sharing among senior citizens based on a mobile and distributed platform. With this project as a frame, the authors' paper addresses methodological considerations of participation in co-design for ageing. Based on the notions of design culture, communities of everyday practice and situated elderliness the authors present accounts from two European countries, and discuss methodological issues related to mobilizing senior citizens in co-design work as they have manifested themselves and influenced the Give&Take project. Challenges for mobilization are identified, based on an analysis of attitudes and values among design researchers and senior citizens. This analysis lead them to identify and discuss three strategies for mobilizing senior citizens in co-design of mobile technology: 1) Understanding being ‘elderly' as situated elderliness rather than closed categories; 2) Understanding how ad hoc or loosely coupled infrastructures can define a community rather than a formal, organisational structure; and 3) Understanding the nature of mobilization and motivation for participation as processes that continue, and need to be supported, also after completion of the project. These strategies have emerged in the authors' work on mobilization and service sharing, but may apply to a broader context of infrastructuring and ongoing negotiations.

scholarly journals Integration of knowledge, visualization and dissemination of spatio-temporal data through geoportal systems

2021 ◽  
Vol 258 ◽  
pp. 03001
Author(s):  
Stanislav Yamashkin ◽  
Ekaterina Yamashkina ◽  
Anatoliy Yamashkin
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Data ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Temporal Data ◽  
Knowledge Visualization ◽  
Geospatial Information ◽  
Design Work ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Loosely Coupled ◽  
Special Programs ◽  
Spatio Temporal

The article describes the basic requirements for the integration of knowledge, visualization and dissemination of spatio-temporal data through geoportal systems. Evaluation of the effectiveness of the implementation of the designed geoportal interfaces is carried out. It was shown that the main advantages of geoportals are considered the absence of the need for additional use of special programs, access at any time from any location, the ability to integrate with third-party websites, etc. The proposed structure of the platform solution is determined by the hypothesis that in order to optimize the storage processes and practical use of spatial data, a project-oriented spatial data infrastructures (SDIs) should contain loosely coupled and strongly connected storage subsystems, analysis and synthesis, as well as visualization and dissemination of spatial data; external objects in relation to SDI should be key actors, as well as external consumers and third-party providers of spatial data and information. Geoportal systems are the external part of the SDI and are used to disseminate and visualize the accumulated geospatial information and analysis results during design work. Solving the main issues of creating the infrastructure of geoportals makes it possible to create a successful strategy for the sustainable development of regions.

scholarly journals Understanding the Diversity of the Metal-Organic Framework Ecosystem

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seyed Mohamad Moosavi ◽  
Aditya Nandy ◽  
Kevin Maik Jablonka ◽  
Daniele Ongari ◽  
Jon Paul Janet ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Design Space ◽  
Metal Organic Framework ◽  
Metal Organic Frameworks ◽  
Small Variation ◽  
Chemical Diversity ◽  
Pore Geometry ◽  
Existing Structures ◽  
New Information ◽  
Chemical Design ◽  
Metal Organic

By combining metal nodes and organic linkers one can make millions of different metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). At present over 90,000 MOFs have been synthesized and there are databases with over 500,000 predicted structures. This raises the question whether a new experimental or predicted structure adds new information. For MOF-chemists the chemical design space is a combination of pore geometry, metal nodes, organic linkers, and functional groups, but at present we do not have a formalism to quantify optimal coverage of chemical design space. In this work, we show how machine learning can be used to quantify similarities of MOFs. This quantification allows us to use techniques from ecology to analyse the chemical diversity of these materials in terms of diversity metrics. In particular, we show that this diversity analysis can identify biases in the databases, and how such bias can lead to incorrect conclusions. This formalism provides us with a simple and powerful practical guideline to see whether a set of new structures will have the potential for new insights, or constitute a relatively small variation of existing structures.

scholarly journals A Systematic Review of Serious Games for Collaborative Learning: Theoretical Framework, Game Mechanic and Efficiency Assessment

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (06) ◽  
pp. 88
Author(s):  
Chaoguang Wang ◽  
Lusha Huang
Keyword(s):  
Collaborative Learning ◽  
Serious Games ◽  
Design Space ◽  
User Studies ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Research Articles ◽  
Mining Method ◽  
Efficiency Assessment ◽  
Game Mechanics ◽  
New Information

In recent years, there has been extensive research on serious games for edu-cational purpose. However, the design space for collaboration in games re-mains substantially unexplored. In this study, we systematically reviewed 31 empirical research articles regarding game-based collaborative learning published from 2006 to 2020 and attempted to provide new information about designing serious games for collaborative learning. We surveyed a number of games and investigated their design features that encourage col-laborative learning. Twenty game mechanics were identified and grouped in-to six main domains: (1) Space, (2) Objects, attributes and states, (3) Ac-tions, (4) Rules and goals, (5) Skill, (6) chance. The analysis of user studies they performed indicated that most of the game projects relied on self-report methods to test their learning effectiveness, and only a few studies adopted the data mining method based on game logs. The implications for research into facilitating collaborative learning and recommendations for future re-search directions are discussed.

How digital fantasy work induces organizational ideal reversal? Long-term conditioning and enactment of digital transformation fantasies at a large alternative bank (1963–2019)

Organization ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 135050842096818
Author(s):  
Manuel Hensmans
Keyword(s):  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
Digital Transformation ◽  
Dark Side ◽  
Organizational Renewal ◽  
For Profit ◽  
New Information ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Organizational Work

Digitalization, that is, organizational renewal through new information and communication technologies, has long been invested with a fantasmic logic of affording alternative organizational ideals – democratic and not-for-profit rather than hierarchical and for-profit. Responding to calls to study the darker side of Silicon Valley inspired utopia, this paper investigates how and when organizational work on digitalization fantasies undermines organizational ideal renewal. In particular, this paper draws on the extended case of Alternative Bank (1963–2019) to shed light on how the long-term co-evolution of fantasy sublogics and power types in successive digital transformation projects induces organizational ideal reversal. I provide a theoretical model of how organizational ideal reversal comes about through the co-evolutionary conditioning of ‘have your cake and eat it’ affordances, mimetic neglect of real ethical affordances, and structural transgression of the ideal in the name of market and technical discipline. Ideal reversal occurs through consecutive phases of unwitting ideal transgression, followed by increasingly cynical and instrumentalizing transgression, and finally a cathartic moment of liberating ideal reversal. I advance several theoretical propositions on how digital fantasy work induces organizational ideal reversal, situating the dark side of fantasy work within a larger societal critique.

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