Design
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For other uses, see Design (disambiguation).
A design is a plan or specification for the construction of an object or system or for the
implementation of an activity or process, or the result of that plan or specification in the form of a
prototype, product or process. The verb to design expresses the process of developing a
design. In some cases, the direct construction of an object without an explicit prior plan (such as
in craftwork, some engineering, coding, and graphic design) may also be considered to be a
design activity. The design usually has to satisfy certain goals and constraints, may take into
account aesthetic, functional, economic, or socio-political considerations, and is expected to
interact with a certain environment. Major examples of designs include architectural blueprints,
[1]
engineering drawings, business processes, circuit diagrams, and sewing patterns.
The person who produces a design is called a designer, which is a term generally used for
people who work professionally in one of the various design areas—usually specifying which
area is being dealt with (such as a textile designer, fashion designer,
Design as a process[edit]
Substantial disagreement exists concerning how designers in many fields, whether amateur or
professional, alone or in teams, produce designs. Kees Dorst and Judith Dijkhuis, both designers
themselves, argued that "there are many ways of describing design processes" and discussed "two
[2]
basic and fundamentally different ways", both of which have several names. The prevailing view
[3] [4]
has been called "the rational model", "technical problem solving" and "the reason-centric
[5] [4] [6]
perspective". The alternative view has been called "reflection-in-action", "co-evolution", and
[5]
"the action-centric perspective".