Harold,
Your outline of Rittel views on wicked problems sounds a lot like the descriptions of swampy practice from Donald Schon (as per my previous post of this topic)
-- resolved not solved
-- judgements not rational decisions
-- many solutions / freedom to design, rather than true solutions
LJ
Dr Luke Jaaniste | 0411 016 096 | [log in to unmask] | Brisbane, Australia
Research Fellow, Centre of Excellence for Creative Industries and Innovation (CCI), QUT :: www.cci.edu.au
academic site :: www.creatively.jaaniste.com
artistic site :: www.lukejaaniste.com
________________________________________
From: PhD-Design - This list is for discussion of PhD studies and related research in Design [[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Harold Nelson [[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Friday, 4 February 2011 5:26 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: generalizability of research through/by design
Dear Mauricio
I would like to offer a bit different perspective on Rittlel and the concept of Wicked problems. There are many opinions concerning the nature of wicked problems and I would like to add another. Out of the list of different problem types — tame (engineering), well formed (Simon), ill-structured (Simon), mess (Ackoff), wicked (Rittel) — wicked problems are not problems at all. However problem-based approaches to design are endemic in academia and the professions. In addition the term 'problem' is used in very off-hand ways that can be confusing without some distinctions as to what is actually being discussed. Scientific problems for instance are not the same as social problems.
For Rittel, wicked problems are not 'solved' or 'tamed'. They may be 'resolved' (thus Rittel's focus on argumentation (IBIS) or 'dissolved' by designing as exemplified by Ackoff's 'idealized design' approach. Rittel focused on 'judgments' as a means for making decisions in place of rational algorithms of scientific decision making (i.e there is no 'scientific' planning (design)).
Rittel pointed out that planners (he used the term planner interchangeably with designer) and concomitant stakeholders involved in a design project were uncomfortable with the idea of 'epistemic freedom" which is characteristic of design in that there are no 'true' solutions — only many possibilities and people are uncomfortable with so much freedom. He used the example of the idea of Sachzwang ("derive ought from fact" (German term)) as a means used to maintain 'clean hands' by cleaving to facts as the justification for action.
I would highly recommend Rittel's paper titled "The Reasoning of Designer" (Chapter 3.3. in 'The Universe of Design' edited by Jean-Pierre Protzen.) in addition to his seminal articles on Wicked Problems that are also made available in Protzen's book.
Regards
Harold Nelson
EMAIL ADDRESS FOR Harold Nelson:
[log in to unmask]
On Feb 1, 2011, at 7:14 PM, G. Mauricio Mejia wrote:
> Dear list members,
>
> I was reading Buchanan’s wicked problems in design thinking article and I had a conflict in my mind. He cites Rittel’s 10 properties of wicked problems and one is “Every wicked problem is unique”.
>
> Making a connection to design by or through research. Some have suggested that design through research is the systematic inquiry while also solving wicked design problems (e.g. Forlizzi et al. 2009). I was wondering what the value of research by design is if the “generalizable knowledge” of a research by design might not be applicable to any other wicked design problems (since they are different).
>
> In other words, what would be the goal of a research through/by design if the indeterminacy reduces possibilities to apply resulting knowledge to other problems?
>
> If there is a goal, how to systematize and publish results?
>
> I guess this is what he calls neoretic – new learning. But I’d like to know your thoughts about this.
>
> Best,
>
> G. Mauricio Mejía
> http://mejia.disenovisual.com
>
> References
> -Buchanan, R. (1992). Wicked Problems in Design Thinking. Design Issues , 8 (2), 5-21.
> -Forlizzi, J., Stolterman, E., & Zimmerman, J. (2009). From design research to theory: Evidence of a maturing field. International IASDR Conference: International Associations of Societies of Design Research. (p. 205). Seoul, Koreal: IASDR.
