Jonas et al,
I'm afraid I'm unconvinced that the problem/solution view is bad. I do
agree that designing involves inquiry/exploration/knowledge-production,
but I'm not sure how this is inconsistent with a problem/solution view.
For example, say a client comes to a designer with a problem. The
designer may attempt to change the problem (the 'brief') because of
expertise/experience, but surely such changes are intended to get at the
'real' problem of the client, and ought to be carried out in
collaboration with the client. Cannot we say that finding the problem
is itself a problem?
I also agree with the idea that the only time the designer *really*
knows the answer to a design problem is when the design is completed.
But I don't see this as necessarily contradictory to the
problem/solution view. I see problem explication as occuring in some
alternation with designing (solution explication). A general sense of
the problem (what we'd call "user requirements") is worked out. Then
some designing happens. The designing ends when we find that the
requirements aren't complete and that without a more complete
requirements set, the designing cannot continue. So we take the
combination of the existent requirements and the existent (partial)
design and use these two together to drive more requirements. Then we
design some more. And so on.
It's as if designing and problem elicitation were duals of one another,
different sides of the same coin, having some different characteristics
but also being in some ways inseparable.
It seems to me that inquiry, exploration, and knowledge discovery can
occur as parts of both the problem elicitation stage and the designing
stage.
I shall read your paper, Jonas, as soon as I can. Maybe that will make
me change my tune. But for the moment, I hope I've at least explained
my confusion.
Cheers.
Fil
----- Original Message -----
From: Wolfgang Jonas <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Tuesday, August 16, 2005 3:57 am
Subject: Re: Problem, purpose, teleology
> Dear Ken,
>
> this problem -> solution view of designing is much too idealized,
> simplified, even poor, in my opinion. It neglects the whole concept
> of designing as a process of inquiry / exploration / knowledge
> production. Or the more trivial issue of finding new "problems" to
> be
> solved my means of available new technologies (as common in
> marketing).
>
> One of my first texts in the design community in the early 90s
> dealt
> with this question:
>
> "Design as problem-solving? Or: Here is the solution - what was the
> problem?" Design Studies Vol 14 No 2, April 1993.
>
> Best,
>
> Jonas
|