On this web page, you will find definitions of terms that Design Impulse uses.
Definitions of design activity
Approach
Meaning: A behavioural way to tackle a problem from a particular perspective.
Examples of a professional approach:
- design thinking from a user perspective,
- systems thinking from a holistic perspective,
- participatory thinking from a dialectical perspective.
Concept
Meaning: A conceivable way to solve a particular problem.
Design (noun)
Meaning: A plan, sketch, or drawing showing an object’s appearance, function, and workings before it is built or made.
Design (verb)
Meaning: To create new experiences through an object that is yet to be built or made.
In other words, a design process attempts to meet and exceed explicit and implicit expectations by specifying a new object. There are many fields of application, such as advertising, industrial, and web design, all with their own definitions of design.
Scientifically speaking, designing creates a theory: an idea, plan, or set of principles on how to fulfill particular needs and desires through the properties of a non-existing object. Furthermore, designing creates a model of this theory. It specifies an object with properties that correspond to the properties according to the theory. Based on this model, you can build or make the object (see Towards an anticipatory view of design).
Experience
Meaning: The emotion aroused by something.
Primary forms of experience:
- Happiness
- Anger
- Fear
- Sadness
Function
Meaning: The effect of something.
Methodology
Meaning: A set of principles, practices, and procedures that help solve particular problems.
Examples of a professional methodology:
- Agile for change-driven development,
- V-Model for test-driven development,
- Design for X for issue-driven development.
Problem
Meaning: A lack of perspective on how to fulfill a particular need or desire.
Property
Meaning: An attribute or behavioural aspect of something.
Solution
Meaning: A feasible way to solve a particular problem.
Structure
Meaning: The way something is built.
Wicked problem
Meaning: A vague, confusing, and unique problem you only understand after formulating a solution.
A design problem is a wicked problem. In practice, requirements formulated to express the needs and desires of users are often incomplete, inconsistent, imprecise, or ambiguous (see Towards a Knowledge Level Theory of Design Process).
Definitions of design power
Adaptation
Meaning: Creation of an akin kind of solution.
Change
Meaning: Transition from one situation into another.
Forms of change:
- Creation
- Improvement
- Variation
Creation
Meaning: Bringing something into existence.
Creativity
Meaning: Productivity through imagination.
Forms of creativity:
- Innovation
- Adaptation
- Transformation
You can attribute organizational creativity only to a group of people, not to an individual.
Curiosity
Meaning: Urge to know more about something.
Empathy
Meaning: Identify with another person’s feelings.
Impact
Meaning: The power to bring about a result on another.
Examples of professional impact:
- Leads
- Orders
- Follow-ups
Improvement
Meaning: Making something better.
Innovation
Meaning: Creation of a unique kind of solution.
Performance
Meaning: The manner of reacting to stimuli.
Forms of professional performance:
- Scope
- Quality
- Benefit
- Time efficiency
- Cost efficiency
- Risk management
Return
Meaning: The yield of something.
Forms of return:
- Impact
- Value
- Performance
Transformation
Meaning: Creation from a different kind of solution.
Value
Meaning: The importance, usefulness, or advantage of something.
Forms of value:
- Social value
- Environmental value
- Economic value
Variation
Meaning: Making something different.
Definitions of organization
Organization
Meaning: A group of people working together on a shared purpose.
Forms of organization:
- Enterprise
- Company
- Institution
Organizational design
Meaning: The result of designing an organization to achieve its goals effectively and efficiently.
An organizational design expresses the following aspects:
- Strategy
- Structure
- System
- Specialisms
- Skills
- Shared values
Professional practice
Meaning: A group of people that focuses on the long-term sustainable success of a specific profession.
For design, see A Framework for Building a Design Practice.
Team
Meaning: An organizational unit of two or more people working together to accomplish a common goal.