Abstract
Design is about creating the ‘real’ world around us. Real life is complex, dynamic and uncertain. Truth is difficult enough to know, even with the best science, but ‘reality’, the domain of human experience, can be overwhelmingly paralyzing and beyond comprehension or understanding. Careful, accurate description, concomitant with clear explanation, is necessary but not sufficient in the quest for enough understanding to allow wise decisions to be made. The value of judgment is that it allows individuals to overcome their paralysis and engage with the messy complexity of life in a way that, when done well, can bring function, beauty, and meaning to human existence. In this paper we will examine judgment, particularly design judgment. We argue that a better understanding of judgment is needed if we want to improve our design ability in an intentional manner. Judgment is a key dimension in the process of design. The ability to make design judgments is what distinguishes a designer as a designer. The ability to make good design judgments distinguishes good design.
Citation
Nelson, H., and Stolterman, E. (2002) Design judgment: decision making in the ‘real’ world, in Durling, D. and Shackleton, J. (eds.), Common Ground - DRS International Conference 2002, 5-7 September, London, United Kingdom. https://dl.designresearchsociety.org/drs-conference-papers/drs2002/researchpapers/59
Design judgment: decision making in the ‘real’ world
Design is about creating the ‘real’ world around us. Real life is complex, dynamic and uncertain. Truth is difficult enough to know, even with the best science, but ‘reality’, the domain of human experience, can be overwhelmingly paralyzing and beyond comprehension or understanding. Careful, accurate description, concomitant with clear explanation, is necessary but not sufficient in the quest for enough understanding to allow wise decisions to be made. The value of judgment is that it allows individuals to overcome their paralysis and engage with the messy complexity of life in a way that, when done well, can bring function, beauty, and meaning to human existence. In this paper we will examine judgment, particularly design judgment. We argue that a better understanding of judgment is needed if we want to improve our design ability in an intentional manner. Judgment is a key dimension in the process of design. The ability to make design judgments is what distinguishes a designer as a designer. The ability to make good design judgments distinguishes good design.