Software Design as an Abstraction

The design step in developing software has some unique characteristics. First of all, it’s the only step where drawing pictures of things is the norm. Why is that? What do pictures do that other representations cannot do? Pictures have varying levels of detail; pictures have context. Pictures…paint a picture. Why are these things important? In this course, too, we begin looking at other disciplines (building architecture is a favorite one) for lessons on design.

• Understand the characteristics of software design and abstraction
• Evaluate the effectiveness of graphical representations in design
• Apply design principles from other disciplines to improve software

• Basic familiarity with the topic and its common terminology
• Readiness to practice through applied exercises or case-based work