Supporting negotiation in concurrent design teams

This short paper reports on that part of a design support system, which assists each individual in a concurrent design team to negotiate with their colleagues during the materials selection stage of design. It identifies a difference in the way some concurrent design team members conduct negotiation compared to one of the standard economic models. It seeks to build upon this to suggest ways in which designers may be supported in identifying alternative materials, the choice of which would improve the design from their own perspective, and which are more likely to be acceptable to partners in negotiation.