DESIGN PROBLEM SOLVING

Design is the most complex and ill-structured kind of problem solving. Design is a ubiquitous professional activity. In the fields of engineering, architecture, education and training, music, art, theater, writing, interior decorating, agriculture, computer science, marketing, and nearly every professional endeavor, professionals design products, creations, processes, systems, activities, models, and a host of other outcomes. Most professionals are engaged in some form of design:

• writing software programs; • designing a building; • designing a new car or any of its 10,000 components; • writing a concerto or musical score, writing a book, play, short

story, article, or poem; • creating a marketing campaign for a new product; • creating a new food product; • designing a storefront display; • decorating your home’s interior or exterior; • decorating a cake. These and thousands of other jobs and tasks engage design problem solving.