triad of
PROCESS

The design process is iterative, integrative and recursive. The student should be aware of the dangers of following a templatized process or an overreliance on methods.32 The design process is not prescriptive, for the “path is laid in walking”.33

INTEGRATIVE

implies that knowledge and skills from diverse fields are applied in the act of synthesis or creation of artefacts. The transfer of concepts or methods from one field to another is crucial to design, innovation and invention. The designer has to learn how to navigate the disciplinarities, i.e. to move freely between them, instead of remaining stuck or occupying territory between them. To this end, it is essential for the student to cultivate specific attitudes to learning.

The first is the ability to navigate ambiguity and uncertainty, as these are increasingly the characteristics of the world we and the future generations will inhabit. An approach that encourages fluid movement between disciplinary boundaries and even a crossover into unknown territory can be thoughtfully integrated into the design of assignments and courses in a curriculum.

The second is an openness to experience and receptiveness, not just to diverse and divergent ideas but also to other people, cultures and values. Designers need to be aware of the diversity and plurality of the world they inhabit and design for. This requires a considerably expanded world view, which, again, can be integrated into a syllabus. Finally, the third attitude vital to a designer is a high reflexive ability, combined with strong character. To reflect in action and on action; to evaluate one’s work and its consequences not just on individuals but also on society at large; and a willingness to engage in “conscientious resistance”34 are critical traits for the responsible designer.

ITERATIVE

implies that the designer’s thoughts, feelings and actions are refined over time. Iterations are not repetitions or clones or copies but variations — incremental or radical improvements35 — of the design reflected in each subsequent mock-up or prototype.

RECURSIVE

implies that the designer engages in reflective practice36 — that the feedback from previous iterations finds its way back into the decision loop. This is a matter of judgement, and the designer has to determine and prioritise what is meaningful and what to leave behind.

  1. read Paul Feyerabend in Against Method (1970) for monism in science.
  2. view Richard Long in A Line Made by Walking (1967).
  3. read Malcolm McCullough in Abstracting Craft: The Practiced Digital Hand (1996).
  4. read Donald A. Norman and Robert Verganti in Incremental and Radical Innovation: Design Research versus Technology and Meaning Change (2012).
  5. read Donald Schon in The Reflective Practitioner: How Professionals Think in Action (1983).