Modelling the Design of Models: An Example Using CRISP-DM

Design is widely understood as a domain-independent notion, comprising any activity concerned with creating artefacts. This paper shows that models can be viewed as artefacts, and that the design of models resembles the design of artefacts in other domains. The function-behaviour-structure (FBS) ontology of design is applied to models, mapping generic characteristics of models derived from literature on modelling onto basic, design-ontological categories. An example of model design, namely the CRISP-DM model for designing data mining models, is analysed and compared with models of designing in other domains (systems engineering, mechanical engineering, software engineering, and service design). The results show that there are fundamental commonalities but also differences, revealing the need for further research in developing a theory of model design.