Many projects treat design as a problem with a fixed answer. But what if we treated design as learning journey?
In a complex world, design needs to be a responsive process. This means observing, setting intentions, developing ideas, testing them and seeing what happens. With each iteration of this process we get a better understanding of how the system responds to our thinking — and how our thinking needs to respond to the system.
- This mindset encourages us to:
- Respect complexity
- Work iteratively
- See value not in a single deliverable, but in insight that accrues over time
It’s hard to argue with that. And yet many design processes are linear and short-term.
But just think about what long-term value could be unlocked by shifting from merely delivering an answer toward building understanding.