Design Patterns as Tools to Support Social Creativity and Knowledge Management in Collaborative Design Processes

This paper addresses the problem of knowledge creation, integration and dissemination in communities of software designers. The solution identified is represented by design patterns, tools to support social creativity providing a way of capturing and sharing knowledge related to design problems arising in creative collaborative design processes. Inter-related design problems are documented by inter-related design patterns, which form pattern languages. The paper describes design patterns and pattern languages and illustrates the ways in which they support social creativity and knowledge creation, integration and dissemination in communities of software designers.