> Why
>is it when they buy houses they behave so conservatively? Why is the
>housing market incapable of re-inventing itself with better products,
>better suited to people's wants?
I think it is because theoreticians haven't been able to connect
the issues raised by anonymous users and design methods. So there is no
real seminal theory which will help the earnest designer.
If you look carefully, this situation exists whenever a design
has to handle people the designer does not know (or can never know)
completely.
On the other hand, if the actual end user is completely known; the
design tends to be more accurate and therefore 'creative'. For example;
one could possibly be very creative while designing a good mountain
bike, but try writing software (which is also 'designing') and see
the amount of flak one would receive if one were to deviate from
what was previously believed to be conventional or 'the standard'.
Result: Designers gravitate towards that corner which provides
for the 'greatest common denominator' ( the 'play it safe'
aka 'conservative' approach)
All this is very dangerous, of course. If the current
status quo of promoting 'specialized and therefore creative'
approach to design continues, there is a distinct danger
of extinction of true (or socially relevant) creativity.
Regards
Sabu Francis
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