functions of models are not founded on their logical structures but on their metaphorical structures. Models are metaphors, and metaphors convey their meanings by way of a hermeneutical understanding. Therefore the assessment of the validity of a model of designing must be made by referencing hermeneutical criteria, such as the accuracy with which the model translates the design process as experienced in everyday designpractice and the degree to which the model conceals or discloses aspects of designing. Judged by these criteria, scientific models are disabling rather than enabling. They do not accurately translate what happens in the practice of designing, and they hide more than they reveal. By contrast, models based on herneneutical understanding are fully capable of giving felicitous translations of designing as they are directly experienced by designers.
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Snodgrass et al. (1992) studied this question.