The Design Way: Intentional Change in an Unpredictable World : Foundations and Fundamentals of Design Competence [Hardcover]

Harold G. Nelson (Author), Erik Stolterman (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 327 pages
• Publisher: Educational Technology Pubns (December 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0877783055
• ISBN-13: 978-0877783053
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,819,359 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Design, March 9, 2003

By 

"lenduhl" (UC Berkeley) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Design Way: Intentional Change in an Unpredictable World : Foundations and Fundamentals of Design Competence (Hardcover)

This is an important book. The authors build upon a concept of design I learned from C.West Churchman. The show how the complex processes unfold. Mostly, they tell us there is a new way to think, when trying to make change.

I recommentd this book to decision makers, business and governement, local, national and international studetns and others concerned with change.

It is a book of our times.

7 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars What is the point?, April 10, 2007

By 

Wing C. Lau (Minneapolis, MN United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Design Way: Intentional Change in an Unpredictable World : Foundations and Fundamentals of Design Competence (Hardcover)

I cannot agree with the two previous reviewers. Being a PhD student in design, I have troubles understanding the content and I am confused as to what disciplines or viewpoints are the authors taking (design management, product design, design philosophy, engineering design, self-help ???) when writing the book.

There are lots of instances where the authors are just dropping words without context (complexity, emergence, teleology, etc.) For example, in the second chapter, the authors define what is "true, real and ideal" without discussing the philosophical implications these terms introduced. The book appears to have a lots of unjustifiable claims. The references do not seem to be complete and many important design thinking/philosophy readings are missing. Another issue is that the book contains lots of models and diagrams (70+ figs) which cannot be justified (maybe just for visualization).

I don't think it is an introduction to the design way. It can serve as a general non-fiction reading but certainly fail to describe or explain the design way.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book, November 14, 2006

By 

arv43 (Bloomington,IN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Design Way: Intentional Change in an Unpredictable World : Foundations and Fundamentals of Design Competence (Hardcover)

I totally recommend this book and Stolterman's other book - Thoughtful Interaction Design - one of the best books I have read as a (interaction) design student