An internet-based system to support interdisciplinary and inter- organisational collaborative conceptual design

Introduction Computer-aided tools are being increasingly used to support the design process. Most, however, are usable only in the latter stages of design and, even then, provide only limited support (Baya and Leifer 1996). Currently, no commercial computer-based design tool exists for, or has been developed with the sole intention of, supporting the interdisciplinary team during the conceptual design phase (Jensen 1999). This is a striking omission given that 80% of the final cost of a project (National Materials Advisory Board 1991) is fixed during this phase. Not only is this phase highly influential, but also the most informal, most complex, and least understood stage of the entire design process, and as such it is surely the activity which is most in need of computational support (Baya and Leifer 1996).