Drawing for Understanding : A Structural Approach to Mapping the Design Ecosystem

Knowledge Formation across Diverse Documentation Methods

Abstract

This paper explores the multifaceted functions of documentation in design practice, focusing on observation, notation, and reconstruction. By examining both real-time and reflective approaches—including collaborative writing—it proposes a structural understanding of documentation as an epistemic medium within a design ecosystem. Emphasis is placed on the relationships among the writer, the subject, and the reader. Documentation is framed not merely as record-keeping, but as a way of drawing to understand and to generate design knowledge.