The Nature of Design
The master designer wields an alchemic power to create without addition.
Photo by Scott Webb on Pexels
The entire purpose of creativity can be summarized as manipulations aimed at achieving asymmetric outcomes. For example, from combinatory processes we get emergent properties — the whole being greater than the sum of the parts — meaning that value has been created. (A specific example of combinatory creation can be found in the addition of the electric motor to a washbasin to create the washing machine.) However, there is a subtle but powerful aspect of creativity that often goes overlooked: let’s call it “alteration.”
By “alteration” I mean a reorganizing of elements, as opposed to the addition or substitution of elements. Nothing need be added to transform a bowl into a plate, yet I much prefer to use the latter if I’m to cut steak on it. A more aerodynamic bus could potentially save a municipality large sums of money on gas. Varied designs for a chair can spare the bones or muscles pressure in a variety of ways. When it comes to software, tweaks in the user interface (UI) can often be viewed in this light, and I’d attribute the success of the iPhone, for example, to be in no small part due to its UI. The iPhone’s UI is so intuitive I’ve seen multiple infants use it with little or no prior exposure. These examples of “alteration” represent a low-cost way to create enormous added value. For every element and combination of elements, there is an ideal form it can assume — ideal in regards to some objective.
Biology makes good use of this low-cost strategy for optimization. Each of us can be grateful that our feet and hands are altered to best serve their purpose. This process is employed by evolution from head to toe, literally — our mouths are full of teeth that are shaped differently to best perform some aspect of mastication, and our toes vary in size and shape for optimized function. Likewise, there is virtually no animal that foregoes the advantages of sexual dimorphism. Truly, “duplication and divergence” underlies all of biology.
Transforming the World
Every conceivable organization, invention, life-form, mode of behavior, written work, etc., could see a dramatic increase in value by moving closer to this ideal form in respect to some objective. And, lest we consider hands and plates to be just another type of foot or bowl, then something new has been created through this process. This creativity through transformation, or alteration for optimization, underlies the purpose of design. Design can make a thing more beautiful, usable, or powerful without additives.
In our own personal and professional lives, we should look for more opportunities to bring the most out of what we have by altering (or organizing) for optimization. There’s much talk about emergent properties as a result of combinatory processes, but where can the concept of emergence find a more exact example than through alteration? If emergence is measured by the discrepancy between the elements (input) and the impact of them as an aggregate (output), then we get the clearest example of emergence by watching the output change while the elements remain unchanged. With combinatory processes we can take the 3 (imaginary) units we have, add 5 units, and end up with 10 units. With alteration we can take our 3 units and make it 5, without adding a thing. When we manage to effectively utilize the two principles together, something great awaits on the horizon.
To effectively utilize this concept, it is important to establish a focal point. That focal point is the objective that we wish to optimize in reference to. For example, if you’re writing a book, consider your audience. With the same information, number of pages, and other basic elements, you can then stylize it to be enjoyable and digestible for them. In fact, for anything that involves selling — whether yourself or a product — the focal point is the audience, and therefore the goal of optimization is to tailor it to that target audience. With a user interface, the focal point is ease of use. The potential functions of the software are important, but that is beyond the scope of UI. The UI developer should then focus on intuitiveness and simplicity, as keys to ease of use. If we don’t orient in this way, no matter how great the individual elements, we will lose out on overall potential.
We can use this process to aid in reaching a goal as well. Once we establish the goal, we should enumerate the obstacles in our way and elements available to us. The obstacles will serve as focal points. For example, let’s say our goal is to lose weight by dieting. The nature of a diet is that one’s food options and caloric intake are circumscribed, so the elements involved are clearly defined. The obstacles come in the form of hunger, cravings, and the undesirability of available foods. Orienting the organizable elements of the diet to offset these difficulties can be of great benefit. For hunger, one can strategically plan meal and snack times. For cravings, one’s dwelling can be cleared of any tempting foods, and, for taste, we can invest time in researching and developing recipes until we’re satisfied. Once the elements of the diet are optimized in this way, it will be more manageable and thereby more enduring. Ultimately, every application of design can be viewed through this lens of a goal-obstacle dynamic. In the example of the aerodynamic bus, the goal is fuel efficiency and the obstacles are, among other things, drag. When examining our lives, we will find that the basic elements available are time and resources, while the obstacles can take any number of forms.
The master designer takes the set elements and alters or organizes them in such a way that they most effectively counter obstacles and achieve goals. This can be to increase ease of use, aesthetic value, energy efficiency, space availability, etc. This is the nature of design, and though those bestowed with the appellation of “inventor” are most often those who have utilized a combinatory process, the designer is not only an inventor but one who engages in the divinely resourceful act of creating without addition.