How Designers Think

The term design is quite ambiguous. It is given different meaning by different people, it can be used as a verb or a noun, it is used to refer to the end product as well as the process. The process of designing is quite a complex and sophisticated task and that requires great thinking and consideration. Even though it may appear to be generic, there are real differences between fields of design. Some fields of design work with precise ideas, and call for systematic thinking as well as mechanical calculations, while others, being more vague, require chaotic thinking and imaginative thought.

However, a specific group of fields stands in the middle of the spectrum of design activity. Architecture is the most notable. These designers need to design end products that are both beautiful, as well as practical and well functioning. To achieve such designs, professional designers need to be highly educated and trained.

The most fundamental educational device in design education is the studio. Conceptually it is a process of learning by doing, while physically it is a place where students gather to work and design. It is important to note that there are specific problems regarding the studio. This mental process of learning to design by doing, seems to make students more concerned with the end product rather than the process. Furthermore, these university studios do not accurately resemble the work environment of designers, that students will eventually be part of. That is why these studios may unintentionally distort the skills and values that students acquire.

Another difference between different fields of design is the technology that is used in the design process. All designers seem to have different approaches in designing, that are conditioned by their educational background, as well as the technology that they understand. However, most designers need to master different areas of expertise. This is what make designing so challenging, and beautiful, the need for acquiring various kinds of knowledge.

This illustrates that design is a complicated task, that manipulates different kinds of information and blend them to create a coherent final idea. It is a skill, that needs to be learned and practised rigorously. A skill, which the designers masters throughout his career.