Design of Design - Chapter 3

Chapter 3 begins with the author stating that the Rational Model is not perfect. He says that it's more of an ideal than something that is true to life. He says that one of many problems with the model is that you're supposed to have a primary objective, but you might not always know what that is when you first start. He said that he began to realize at some point that his real use to his client wasn't for making goals and such, but actually for helping the client to determine what he actually wanted. Another problem with the model is the design tree. Similarly to setting the goals, we don't always know what the design tree looks like when we are first starting out. Furthermore, the design tree is far too simplistic. The nodes don't represent design decisions, but instead complete designs. Also, determining which path is the "best" to take while traversing the design tree is not feasible. Oftentimes, too many variables go into determining what is the best choice that you can't make a good decision by just looking at a design tree. The author also points out that, as the design process carries on, certain things may come to light that warrant a drastic design change. To add to this, the constraints of the project may be fluid as well, causing any number of changes to need to be made. The author suggests a potential solution: working to eliminate the constraints. The author also provides critiques to this model from others. One potentially valid critique is that this model doesn't work at all because experienced designers just don't work well using it. However, even though this model has what appears to be a cornucopia of flaws, it's still somehow stuck around. The author concludes with the statement that not all designers are in agreement about how to design or which model to use.