Creativity is a leap of faith into unknown territory, and the thing that separates a creative problem solver is the ability to make the appropriate leaps. It is through a methodology - whether implicit or explicit - that a creative mind can navigate through a problem space, know when to make a leap, and how that leap will aid in delivering a richer solution to the problem. But, as defined, this event is a singular creative process. One person collects information, synthesizes it, and produces a creative result. The difficulty of methodology comes when individuals are asked to join a group and work together to solve a problem.
Increasingly, the problems the design community is being engaged to solve are compounding in complexity. As a result, what used to be something one person could solve alone now requires participation by a group of complementary collaborators. With such problems, the ways in which individuals solve problems has become less useful than understanding the ways a collaborative team solves a problem. While the individual approach should still be respected - the value of Design for today and tomorrow lies with understanding collaborative problem solving, the methods that enable a fluid design process, and the value of disagreement in solving complex problems.
- Click here to download Paul’s Model of Designing for Disagreement
Click to read or download the entire article in the ACM Digital Library (Subscription Required - Learn more)
[…] Designing for DisagreementDesigning for Disagreement is a visual explanation of think/make, a new method of creative problem solving with the ultimate focus on expeditions, honest, and accurate results. A new concept by Paul Burke. Nice visualization. […]
[…] Designing for DisagreementDesigning for Disagreement is a visual explanation of think/make, a new method of creative problem solving with the ultimate focus on expeditions, honest, and accurate results. A new concept by Paul Burke. Nice visualization. […]
[…] Paul Burke, Designing for Disagreement […]
I found many refreshing reinforcements and take-aways in article.
For one, the emphasis on visual representations, especially boundary objects and concept models at a project’s outset… really helpful on those wicked projects. This is tremendously important as ad hoc “radical decisioning” via Blackberry can be discussed in a rich context without undue stress to other deliverables.
For another, the persistent mention of satisficing. We designers often agonize over particulars that will be just fine for the first iteration. These things we create are organic over time. Perhaps we need to consider breathing the spark of life into them, and then helping them shape themselves as we would children. We would be mistaken to believe that we have made a doctor from the moment of birth.
I’d enjoy reading much more about language design.
The hardest thing for me will be egolessness.
[…] interactions magazine Creativity is a leap of faith into unknown territory, and the thing that separates a creative problem solver is the ability to make the appropriate leaps… […]