Understanding the Use Value of Domain Modeling

The thesis examines domain modeling from a use-value angle. Although such modeling is common in software engineering and organizational work, it is still unclear why practitioners model, how value is produced, what obstacles reduce that value, and how stakeholders can weigh trade-offs; recent AI developments have made these questions more salient. The work has three aims: to explain how domain modeling creates value, to identify risks and practical difficulties that can threaten it, and to help stakeholders reason more explicitly about value and risk. Drawing on two empirical studies, it looks at modeling goals, model properties, and the socio-cognitive mechanisms involved. The studies indicate that value comes not only from the model artifacts but also from the collaborative and cognitive processes that modeling supports.