Design Process

Design Process

A design is simply a blueprint or specifications for the proper construction of an entity or system, or for the effective performance of an act or process, or its end result in the form of some product, instance or machine. The word ‘design’ itself is derived from ‘droit’, French, which means’stroke’ or ‘design’. Therefore, the word ‘design’ can also be derived from the term’stroke’. Thus, ‘design’ can also be taken as ‘designing’ or ‘acting with a design’.

In order to explain the process, it is useful to briefly illustrate the designing/designing distinction. In designing, the designers are concerned with how the end product will function and satisfy the end users; whereas, in designing, the users are only interested in getting the end result, i.e. a well-designed product. Accordingly, in designing, there is an interaction of the designer and the client/user, whereas in designing, there is only a monistic interaction of the designer and the product/system. The distinction between designing and doing can be illustrated by way of an example.

For purposes of understanding design goals and designs, it would be useful to consider product design as an exemplary case study. Product design goals could be listed as an overall objective, or many objectives to be met over a specified period of time. For instance, in product design, the design goals might be ‘to make the product easy to use’, ‘to make the product appealing to the target audience’, ‘to make the product functional’, or ‘to create a product that solves user problems’. Similarly, design solutions might be described as a set of approach or techniques that meet the identified design goals, where these solutions might include programming methods, manufacturing techniques, materials, techniques, etc.