That iterative improvement has tremendous power. Optimal solutions arise from exploring a vast array of possibilities. Failure and imperfection are essential parts of the process.
Evolution is explanatory rather than predictive. You cannot predict what species will be extinct a hundred years from now.
Evolution is the universal algorithm for emergence. The algorithm is deterministic, but the outcome is emergent.
Design Thinking maps perfectly into the narrative of Evolution.
Variation through ideation and prototyping, selection through testing and feedback, continual refinement, and sometimes a magical emergence or an emergence that you did not plan. No predetermined endpoint. A process of collective intelligence where solutions emerge from the process itself.
Design’s strength lies not in trying to be predictive, but rather embracing emergence and adaptation. The designer’s stance? Tight control on the method and complete openness to the outcome.
These are points from a talk I gave at the School of Human Ecology at the University of Wisconsin as a special guest in Bruce Mau’s course Design for Non-Designers.
