Interesting topic on 'what is software design?'

The Cognitive View: A Different Look at Software Design by Robert L. Glass - developer.*, Developer Dot Star: "In managing design, managers can focus on communication facilitation and conflict resolution as their contribution to design. The empirical studies researchers further suggest that management of design should be the management of the key issues that arise during the design process.

In pursuit of these goals of better design education, practice, and management, several tool concepts are proposed by the researchers. We do not know how to build all of these tools yet, but if we did it would go a long way towards assisting the now-better-understood design process.

1. Modeling and simulation packages to support the mental process.
2. Idea archive and retrieve packages to prevent thoughts from falling through the cracks.
3. Strategic assumption surfacers that keep track of key requirements and pop them up when a candidate design is about to violate one.
4. Issue-based conflict resolution support.
5. Unresolved issue recording/tracking.
6. Mediated discussion support.
7. Group idea collection and coordination."