Workshop 02: Informed Creativity in Algorithmic Design: Understanding Design Processes Through Interactive Illustrations
Workshop instructors:
Duarte Pardal, INESC-ID/Instituto Superior Técnico, ULisboa, duarte.pardal@tecnico.ulisboa.pt
Inês Caetano, INESC-ID/Instituto Superior Técnico, ULisboa, ines.caetano@tecnico.ulisboa.pt
Workshop description:
Algorithmic Design (AD) enables designers to generate and manipulate complex design solutions through algorithmic descriptions. However, the abstract and predominantly non-visual nature of algorithms often makes design processes difficult to understand, communicate, and debug, limiting designers’ ability to reason about and creatively explore them. This workshop introduces participants to Khepri, an AD tool based on the Julia programming language, through a novel execution-aware illustration system. The system makes algorithmic processes visible through interactive visual representations that link together the algorithmic steps, the generated geometry, and the execution states. By exposing the internal mechanisms behind design generation, the system supports a more transparent and informed understanding of computational design processes.
The workshop goes beyond coding skills acquisition by focusing on computational reasoning and design exploration. Through a sequence of guided exercises, participants will interact with code, graphical annotations, and execution traces to investigate how algorithms produce geometric outcomes. Additionally, participants will analyse algorithm behaviour, identify and debug unexpected results, explore alternative design solutions, and reflect on the relationship between design intentions and computational procedures.
The workshop culminates in a creative design exercise in which participants use execution-aware representations to develop, analyse, and communicate their own algorithmic design solutions.
Participants will gain practical experience with AD tools while developing skills in algorithmic thinking, explainability, debugging, and informed creativity within computational design workflows.
Part 1 – Introduction
- Workshop goals and expected outcomes.
- Introduction to AD and computational thinking.
- Presentation of the software environment.
- Traceability between geometry, code, and execution state.
Part 2 – Simple parametric algorithms
- Introduction to AD concepts (syntax, mathematical operations, variables, primitive data types, functions, and geometric primitives).
- Exploration and modification of algorithms using interactive execution-aware illustrations.
- Inspection of generated geometry, execution traces, variables, and intermediate computations.
- Discussion of how algorithmic operations influence design outcomes.
- Realizing artistic ideas with AD, aided by illustrations.
Part 3 – Repetition and abstraction in AD
- Intermediate AD concepts (control flow, composite data types).
- Exploration of intermediate algorithms using interactive execution-aware illustrations.
- Realizing complex artistic ideas with AD, aided by illustrations.
- Illustration-aided debugging of algorithms with incorrect behavior.
Part 4 – Open-ended creative challenge and discussion
- Development of a small algorithmic design proposal.
- Documentation of the design process through execution-aware illustrations.
- Presentation and discussion of developed designs.
- Reflection on the role of explainability, traceability, and informed creativity in AD.
- Feedback collection session and workshop closing
Key topics:
- Algorithmic Design literacy.
- Computational reasoning and explainability.
- Interactive visualization of algorithm execution.
- Design exploration and debugging.
- Informed creativity in computational design.
- Traceability between code, execution, and geometry
Workshop Type:
one day on site workshop Tuesday 08 September
Required software and equipment:
- participants bring their own laptop
- all required software will be installed at the beginning of the session.
