Abductive Reasoning in Creative Design and Engineering: Crossroads of Data-Driven and Model-Based Engineering

Creative processes require abductive reasoning from a human being, which is a feature that humans exhibit naturally, and machines are not able to do. Abductive reasoning underpins creative reasoning, interpretation, and analogy, all of which are crucial to creative design processes in diverse fields, including, for example, architectural design and engineering. In the absence of computers, abductive reasoning has typically been a physical process that takes place in the human mind and is oriented mainly on the design project itself (e.g., pen, paper, and words in the case of architectural design and engineering). In the current digital computer world, abductive reasoning takes place also in combination with machines, in which case abductive reasoning is still exclusively a human trait. As the medium changes, however, entirely different affordances and opportunities emerge. In this chapter, a review is given of design processes and the location of abductive reasoning in those; the impact of technology in these design processes, with a particular focus on model-based versus data-driven software processes; and, in a third section, a review of where technology may fit as an assistant, or just yet another medium to work with.