William M. Newman and Walter Vincenti have published a very useful short essay in Technology & Culture on how fields of engineering make progress by developing effective selection criteria for evaluating prototypes. The authors describe how human computer interface designers were able to learn from the history of aeronautical engineering in coming up with methodologies for devising useful selection criteria. Reference: On an Engineering Use of Engineering History – Technology and Culture 48:1 Technology and Culture 48.1 (2007) 245-247.