This program is tentative and subject to change.
An application’s architecture is frequently refactored after deployment to accommodate its users’ evolving needs. However, we currently lack a repeatable and consistent method to teach high-level collaborative design skills. Drawing on the serious play framework, we advance an existing analog exercise for scaffolding collaborative design using a new system: the LLM-managed application overview. From an instructor prompt, the system generates an overview detailing an entire application using a variation of CRC cards – common industry design aids. These design cards, forego any code or implementation detail. Students individually generate solutions by editing the cards, thereby redesigning the application’s architecture. The system simulates the effects of these changes by updating emulated code metrics and estimating required effort. Returning to their teams, students discuss the cost and complexity of their designs to select, refine, and pitch a single solution. By the activity’s end, the students will have practiced all the design skills necessary for a months-long cycle of development, without the students or the instructor manually managing any implementation details.