The simplest ways to describe the design process divide it into two phases: analysis and synthesis. Or preparation and inspiration. But those descriptions miss a crucial element-the connection between the two, the active move from one state to another, the transition or transformation that is at the heart of designing. How do designers move from analysis to synthesis? From problem to solution? From current situation to preferred future? From research to concept? From constituent needs to proposed response? From context to form?

How do designers bridge the gap?