Making Models : vom Selbermachen stofflich-digitaler Artefakte als Modellbildung

In recent years a maker movement that is characterized by linking DIY to digital media has appeared. In this context amateurs create and construct digital physical artefacts themselves, and share documentation of their projects online to learn from each other. Distributing on-going projects to other makers presupposes that essential characteristics of the artefact under construction are documented. This raises the question of how young amateurs can be supported to document their physical digital artefacts. This thesis develops an approach based on model theory to define the making of digital physical artefacts as modelling processes. Starting from a general model definition, corresponding modelling concepts from computer science are taken up, expanded by alternative un-formal approaches from HCI and applied to making. Requirements for modelling software tools are derived and implemented. A content analysis of makers models and the evaluation of the new tools points towards the appropriateness of graphical models and unveils benefits of visual programming code for documentation. They are meaningful and practical model formats to outline un-formal and abstract characteristics comprehensibly. It is proposed to extend visual programming environments into simple documentation tools to relate to young makers construction activities.