ABSTRACT
Why does design require methodologies? Design in a metamodern era is not a process of ad-hoc incremental development but, instead, design is structured action. A design methodology provides the intellectual means to aggregate a range of diverse design methods into a system that is consistent with a theoretical framework. The methodology is what gives a method its rigor. A design methodology, as applied theory, as the theoretical basis and rigorous test for praxis methods, consists of fundamental principles that are generalizable and applicable to a wide range of conditions.
A design methodology is a systemized strategy to deliver innovative solutions to complex problems; it directs skills in research, synthesis, modelling, and prototyping. By iterating on the models and simulations of praxis in practice, design methodologies take risks while building rigor. A methodology establishes alignment of action with theory (as a system of ideas) as well as the methods that can determine the scope and fulfill the type of research to be collected. A methodology structures research methods, through which new domains of design, previously unaddressed by traditional design processes, are revealed. The value of design becomes more salient and is integrated ever more into the organizations of society; an explicit design methodology opens the processes and evaluation of design to others. This section describes four Experience Design/Process Constructive (XD/PC) design methodologies, suited to a broad range of design challenges, drawing their theoretical rigor from the principles of phenomenology, cybernetics, imagism, and pragmatism.
