Design Heuristics
Definition of the Engineering Method
In his definition of engineering method, Billy Vaughn Koen states:
The strategy for causing the best change in a poorly understood situation within the available resources.
Definition of Heuristic
A heuristic is anything that provides a plausible aid or direction in the solution of a problem but is in the final analysis unjustified, incapable of justification, and potentially fallible.
Key points about Heuristics
The use of heuristics is ubiquitous, and almost every aspect of our lives is influenced by them.
Various heuristics exist at different levels of abstraction.
A heuristic does not guarantee a solution.
It may contradict other heuristics.
Heuristics are always in competition with each other.
It reduces the search time for solving a problem.
Its acceptance depends on the immediate context instead of an absolute standard.
Types of Heuristics
Heuristics can be divided into three types according to Rebecca Wirfs-Brock [2]:
Action Heuristics -> Things we do to solve our problem.
Value Heuristics -> What motivates our actions.
Guiding heuristics -> Heuristics that lead to related actions.
References
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