Martin Stacey's Research

I'm a cognitive scientist. My perspective on the research problems I encounter comes from my training in psychology and artificial intelligence: I want to understand how people think, how knowledge and information get used by humans and computers. I want to understand how computer systems influence human thinking and how they can enhance it. But in my more recent work I've had to think about social and cultural processes involved in complex activities like software development and engineering design. Cognitive and sociological approaches to human behaviour are often treated as opposed or incompatible; my concern is to integrate them. This has led me to look at what designers do as well as how they do it, working with philosophyers to apply the insights of philosophy of science to design.

The focus of my research is understanding design and developing computer tools for designers. I'm especially interested in human computer interaction aspects of design support systems.

The main themes in my current work are

How computer modelling tools and AI systems can support design process planning
How designers communicate ideas; especially the role of representations of designs and the influence of ambiguity, and techniques for communicating uncertainty and provisionality.
The role of context and sources of inspiration in design thinking and design processes, including how designers use references to other objects in designing activities.
The similarities and differences between types of design, including software engineering.
The nature of models in design, and how designers use models of new, not-yet-existing products and design processes.

I do most of my work in collaboration with colleagues at other universities. Co-authors of my research papers include

Professor Louis Bucciarelli, Science and Technology Studies, Masssachusetts Institute of Technology
Professor John Clarkson, Engineering Design Centre, University of Cambridge
Dr Claudia Eckert, Design Group, Open University
Professor Chris Earl, Design Group, Open University
Professor Rafaela Hillerbrand, ITAS, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
Kristina Lauche, Organisational Design and Development, Radboud University Nijmegen
Dr Michael Poznic, ITAS, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
Dr Jennifer Wiley, Psychology, University of Illinois, Chicago.

My Erdős Number is at most 4.