The value of design information in collaborative design networks
Katrine Mahlamäki · 2013
Collaborative design requires efficient communication, but the value of design information for the collaboration partners is difficult to predict. The dimensions of design information value and challenges related to them need to be identified in order to improve the value of design information for collaboration partners. We analyzed literature in order to understand the value of information in general. We conducted four case studies in four collaborative design networks in order to understand and model the value of design information in this industrial context. The results of our case studies reveal that the challenges of design information exchange in collaborative design networks lie in the capture and reuse of design information, access to information and targeting design information exchange. We found timeliness, relevance, accuracy, credibility, frequency, comprehensibility and accessibility to be important dimensions of design information value. Maximizing information value based on these carefully selected attributes seems to offer us a feasible approach for designing information management processes for collaborative design.