7. Simon’s Design Thinking Cycle
The idea of design as an approach to thinking and doing in the sciences was first championed by economist, management theorist, computer scientist, and complex systems polymath Herbert Simon in The Sciences of the Artificial (1969). Simon and later design scholars including Robert McKim, Peter Rowe, Rolf Faste, David Kelley, and Richard Buchanan championed design as creative, solution-based thinking, applicable in all human activities. Most of these scholars approached design from the decision cycle perspective. Simon’s seven step design thinking cycle, quoted here from Wikipedia, remains the classic set of introductory guidelines to good design process:
| 1. Define
Decide what issue you are trying to resolve Agree on who the audience is Prioritize this project in terms of urgency Determine what will make this project successful Establish a glossary of terms 2. Research Review the history of the issue; note existing obstacles Collect examples of other attempts to solve the issue Note the project supporters, investors, and critics Talk to your end-users for fruitful ideas for later design Take into account thought leaders’ opinions 3. Ideate Identify the needs and motivations of your end-users Gen. as many ideas as possible to serve identified needs Record your brainstorming sessions Do not judge or debate ideas During brainstorming, have one conversation at a time 4. Prototype Combine, expand, and refine ideas Create multiple drafts Get feedback from a diverse group, include end users Present a selection of ideas to the client Reserve judgement and maintain neutrality Create and present actual working prototype(s) |
5. Choose
Review the objective Set aside emotion and ownership of ideas Avoid consensus thinking Note: the most practical solution isn’t always the best Select the powerful ideas 6. Implement Make task descriptions Plan tasks Determine resources Assign tasks Execute Deliver to client 7. Learn Gather feedback from the consumer Determine if the solution met its goals Discuss what could be improved Measure success; collect data Document
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These steps are of course another version of the Do Loop, with Steps 1 and 2 being Learn, steps 3, 4, and 5 being See (via design and strategic decisionmaking with respect to prototypes), Step 6 being Do, and Step 7 being Review. All good foresight graduate programs should have a course on Design, as a particularly creative entryway into the skills of Adaptive Foresight. There is also currently one masters program, OCAD’s Strategic Foresight and Innovation program (MDes) that blends foresight and design, for those seeing further training in this powerful approach to solving problems and creating desirable futures.
