Representing and selecting problems through contradictions clouds

Within the scope of Computer Aided Innovation, it is commonly agreed that problem formulation remains in need of robust improvement. Prior to this, means of conducting and representing problems are needed, so as the way a software implementation would help designers, for instance, in decision making. Our approach presents the originality of including the use of a contradiction formalism associated to the notions of problem network, parameter network and their interactions. Several other research outcomes have clearly presented interesting results in the direction of problem network constitution and defined its role within problem formulation and inventive design but have not yet clarified the way these networks are linked together. In this article, we present the notion of contradiction clouds and its manipulation in order to fulfil the objective of assisting decisions in a more advanced way than an intuitive decision method. These proposed rules of representation are based on the assumption that contradictions need to be associated with means of characterization for a graphical representation to be relevant and a decision to be engaged. A test procedure of our proposals has been conducted in two industrial case studies; one in a steel maker company and a second in an automotive supplier.