Design thinking is the core creative process for any designer; this book explores and explains this apparently mysterious design ability. This new edition is a completely revised, updated and extended version of a classic text.
Focusing on what designers actually do when they are designing, the book is structured around a series of in-depth case studies of the work of outstanding and expert designers, interwoven and developed with commentary and comparison. The coverage reflects the breadth of design from architecture to engineering, consumer products to communications, and from individual designing to teamwork and collaborative designing. The scale of designing ranges from Formula One racing cars to city commuting cars, locomotives to bicycles, sewing machines to litter bins and lemon squeezers. The book is based on evidence from observation and investigation of design practice, providing insights into and understanding of design thinking, and the development of design ability from novice to expert.
This second edition of Design Thinking: Understanding How Designers Think and Work offers an overview from one of design's most experienced and influential scholars. Nigel Cross goes to the heart of what it means to think and work as a designer. It is an ideal guide for anyone who wants to become a designer or to know how good designers work in the field of contemporary design.
Illustration Credits
Preface
Acknowledgements
Introduction
The Design of this Book
1. Design Ability
Studying Design Ability
Asking Designers About What They Do
Deconstructing What Designers Do
Watching What Designers Do
Thinking About What Designers Do
Understanding What Designers Do
2. Designing to Win
Background: Formula One Designing
Radical Innovation
Self-adjusting Suspension
Pit Stops
Designing from First Principles
Steering Column
Analogical Thinking
Integrated Design
City Car
Modelling
Learning from Failure
Design Process and Working Methods
3. Designing to Please
Background: The Art of Technical Design
Looking for Improvement
Sewing Machine
Constructive Thinking
Going Beyond the Brief
Locomotive
Fixation
Learning from Failure
Design Process and Working Methods
4. How Designers Think
Motivation and Attitude
Other Outstanding Designers
Common Features
Strategic Thinking
Creative Thinking
Problem Framing
Co-evolution
5. Designing to Use
The Experiment
Design in Action
Systems View
First Principles
Designing for Clients and Users
Discussion: Design strategy
6. Designing Together
Teamwork in Design
Roles and Relationships
Planning and Changing Activities
Gathering and Sharing Information
Generating and Adopting Concepts
Plastic Tray
Persuasion
Avoiding and Resolving Conflicts
Discussion: Design Co-operation
7. How Designers Work
Creative Working
Team Working
Team Leadership
Design Process
Structure Versus Spontaneity
Collaborative Designing
Creative Designing
The Creative Bridge
8. Design Expertise
Experts and Novices
From Novice to Expert
Development of Expertise
Developing Design Thinking
Expertise in Teamwork
Design Intelligence
The Designing Brain
Glossary
References
Index
