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How Designers Think
How Designers Think is based on Bryan Lawson's many observations of designers at work, interviews with designers and their clients and collaborators. This extended work is the culmination of forty years' research and shows the belief that we all can, and do, design, and that we can learn to design better. The creative mind continues to have the power to surprise and this book aims to nurture and extend this creativity. Neither the earlier editions, nor this book, are intended as authoritative prescriptions of how designers should think but provide helpful advice on how to develop an understanding of design.
In this fourth edition, Bryan Lawson continues to try and understand how designers think, to explore how they might be better educated and to develop techniques to assist them in their task. Some chapters have been revised and three completely new chapters added. The book is now intended to be read in conjunction with What Designers Know which is a companion volume. Some of the ideas previously discussed in the third edition of How Designers Think are now explored more thoroughly in What Designers Know. For the first time this fourth edition works towards a model of designing and the skills that collectively constitute the design process.
In this fourth edition, Bryan Lawson continues to try and understand how designers think, to explore how they might be better educated and to develop techniques to assist them in their task. Some chapters have been revised and three completely new chapters added. The book is now intended to be read in conjunction with What Designers Know which is a companion volume. Some of the ideas previously discussed in the third edition of How Designers Think are now explored more thoroughly in What Designers Know. For the first time this fourth edition works towards a model of designing and the skills that collectively constitute the design process.
334 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1980
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January 28, 2015
Designers of any discipline consistently struggle to define their “process”: a way to break down the challenges posed, question them, and develop solutions, accordingly. Each profession will tackle this goal differently, and within their given subset of design, will take a different path to their ultimate product: an exercise that brings us the variety of fascinating designs we see us today from architecture to coffee makers. The mystery around the design process has intrigued many people for years and in How Designers Think: The Design Process Demystified, Bryan Lawson goes far beyond attempting to simply map this process out. This book is an inescapable climb into the psyche of a designer, to probe the depths of how they solve problems, and discover methods which work better than others.
The book is laid out in three Parts, with several sub-sections. Part one asks the question, What is Design?, and as we discover through this section, the concept of design is not easily defined. This is followed by Problems and Solutions, that focused more specifically on actual challenges a designer faces in day-to-day work. The final Part, Design Thinking, highlights creative thinking in general, looking at tactics and traps which designers face. The book is logically sound, laid out in arguably one of the only possible ways to clearly allow the reader to go beyond simple understanding of the concepts and see methods of implication based on a solidly rooted scientific, psychological, and philosophical foundation.
As one would expect, Lawson speaks highly of designers and their seemingly nebulous way of thinking. There is a constant reference to the fact that designers must finely balance scientific and analytical thinking with concerns around beauty and aesthetics. A tough task. Lawson discusses these topics in a very accessible way, highlighting the cognitive aspects of design through the eyes of a psychologist stating that the “cognitive theorists approach to thinking is…attractive to those who seek to understand the design process because it draws many parallels between thought and perception.” The depth of the psychological profile that Lawson shares with the reader is thorough and proportionately well researched, allowing it to flow without sounding at all pretentious.
Lawson also touches upon specific types of thinking—the main one he associates with designers being “solution-focused design.” Accordingly, one of Lawson's eloquent statements really struck a cord with me. He describes that “in general the design process needs to be more balanced and almost by definition less focused than some polemical work might require.” Based on personal experience, the high pace, expectations, and complexity of current practice fosters a design culture that cannot comprehensively understand the issues they are for, or worse yet, a lack of curiosity towards a deeper understanding because of lack of time or budget. This ultimately leads to haphazard design solutions. The practice of balancing parallel thought processes—analytical and aesthetic, theoretical and practical—is the essence of the design process and one of its most empowering aspects. If this mode of thinking were encouraged more frequently, designers could contribute much more positively to the world today.
Another section that truly hit home for me looked at Design Tactics, where he quotes well-known American architect Denise Scott Brown as stating that “you have to accommodate more complexity and confront more political options in planning than in architecture.” In response, Lawson’s states that overall “the idea that there is a hierarchy of design problems with town planning at the top, architecture in the middle and product design at the bottom has limited value.” He goes on to explore this idea, attempting to prove that with respect to thinking processes—of “problem-focused design,” as he calls it—these hierarchies are non-existent since each design discipline carries their own load of problems to solve through many different facets. While some may feel that there is a pecking order of respect for certain professions over another, Lawson reveals that this is beside the point when discussing thought processes.
From start to finish I was fascinated by Lawson’s description of the design process in How Designers Think, and while there was a little bit of redundancy throughout, he was always able to bring the issues back to a strong level of clarity. There is no set path to beautiful design, and as designers we are always moving forward, looking for the next problem to solve. Lawson reminds us, however, that taking the time to engage the issues comprehensively leads to more well-rounded, and ultimately better finished products. As such, developing a solid set of foundation skills and methods are of the utmost importance, permeating into other work and yielding stronger results.
How Designers Think: The Design Process Demystified is a definite read for anyone in the design profession, and in my humble opinion, should be mandated as a required reading in all design-related classrooms.
The book is laid out in three Parts, with several sub-sections. Part one asks the question, What is Design?, and as we discover through this section, the concept of design is not easily defined. This is followed by Problems and Solutions, that focused more specifically on actual challenges a designer faces in day-to-day work. The final Part, Design Thinking, highlights creative thinking in general, looking at tactics and traps which designers face. The book is logically sound, laid out in arguably one of the only possible ways to clearly allow the reader to go beyond simple understanding of the concepts and see methods of implication based on a solidly rooted scientific, psychological, and philosophical foundation.
As one would expect, Lawson speaks highly of designers and their seemingly nebulous way of thinking. There is a constant reference to the fact that designers must finely balance scientific and analytical thinking with concerns around beauty and aesthetics. A tough task. Lawson discusses these topics in a very accessible way, highlighting the cognitive aspects of design through the eyes of a psychologist stating that the “cognitive theorists approach to thinking is…attractive to those who seek to understand the design process because it draws many parallels between thought and perception.” The depth of the psychological profile that Lawson shares with the reader is thorough and proportionately well researched, allowing it to flow without sounding at all pretentious.
Lawson also touches upon specific types of thinking—the main one he associates with designers being “solution-focused design.” Accordingly, one of Lawson's eloquent statements really struck a cord with me. He describes that “in general the design process needs to be more balanced and almost by definition less focused than some polemical work might require.” Based on personal experience, the high pace, expectations, and complexity of current practice fosters a design culture that cannot comprehensively understand the issues they are for, or worse yet, a lack of curiosity towards a deeper understanding because of lack of time or budget. This ultimately leads to haphazard design solutions. The practice of balancing parallel thought processes—analytical and aesthetic, theoretical and practical—is the essence of the design process and one of its most empowering aspects. If this mode of thinking were encouraged more frequently, designers could contribute much more positively to the world today.
Another section that truly hit home for me looked at Design Tactics, where he quotes well-known American architect Denise Scott Brown as stating that “you have to accommodate more complexity and confront more political options in planning than in architecture.” In response, Lawson’s states that overall “the idea that there is a hierarchy of design problems with town planning at the top, architecture in the middle and product design at the bottom has limited value.” He goes on to explore this idea, attempting to prove that with respect to thinking processes—of “problem-focused design,” as he calls it—these hierarchies are non-existent since each design discipline carries their own load of problems to solve through many different facets. While some may feel that there is a pecking order of respect for certain professions over another, Lawson reveals that this is beside the point when discussing thought processes.
From start to finish I was fascinated by Lawson’s description of the design process in How Designers Think, and while there was a little bit of redundancy throughout, he was always able to bring the issues back to a strong level of clarity. There is no set path to beautiful design, and as designers we are always moving forward, looking for the next problem to solve. Lawson reminds us, however, that taking the time to engage the issues comprehensively leads to more well-rounded, and ultimately better finished products. As such, developing a solid set of foundation skills and methods are of the utmost importance, permeating into other work and yielding stronger results.
How Designers Think: The Design Process Demystified is a definite read for anyone in the design profession, and in my humble opinion, should be mandated as a required reading in all design-related classrooms.
April 1, 2016
به واقع نوع اندیشیدن یک طراح و مسیر طی شده در روند طراحی غیر قابل مدل کردنه. هرچند به شکل تئوری مدلهای بسیاری ارائه شده، اما در واقع کدام از ما پیروی بدون چون و چرای روند هاست؟
مدل ها فقط چارچوب کلی از نوع حرکت های ممکن ما را نشان میدهند و نه بیشتر. اصلا ذات یک طراح گنجیدن درچارچوب و کوتاه اومدن از نوع اندیشه خودش رو بر نمیتابه.
البته شایان ذکره که مسیر طی شده در روند طراحی، هرگز با روند های تصمیم گیری شناخته شده مبتنی بر علوم اعصاب هم انطباق کامل نداره.
اریک لاوسون در مسیر تالیف کتاب هاش سالها وقت روی این مساله گذاشته و نهایتا مدلی هم از روند طراحی ارائه داده اما به نظر خودش هم به نتیجه نهایی نرسیده.
واقعا ما چطور می اندیشیم؟
مدل ها فقط چارچوب کلی از نوع حرکت های ممکن ما را نشان میدهند و نه بیشتر. اصلا ذات یک طراح گنجیدن درچارچوب و کوتاه اومدن از نوع اندیشه خودش رو بر نمیتابه.
البته شایان ذکره که مسیر طی شده در روند طراحی، هرگز با روند های تصمیم گیری شناخته شده مبتنی بر علوم اعصاب هم انطباق کامل نداره.
اریک لاوسون در مسیر تالیف کتاب هاش سالها وقت روی این مساله گذاشته و نهایتا مدلی هم از روند طراحی ارائه داده اما به نظر خودش هم به نتیجه نهایی نرسیده.
واقعا ما چطور می اندیشیم؟
October 19, 2019
شاید اول های کتاب یکم گیج بشین ولی با نوشتن تیتر ها یکم کمکتون میکنه ول از صفحه ۲۳۰ به بعد کتال جون میگیره و شما رو کامل درگیر میکنه چون در مورد طراحی نوشتن و حرف زدن کار دشواری است
December 26, 2019
Not particularly useful.
Very obvious statements such as "Design problems are often poorly defined" or "The client is not always the user" (not direct quotes) make up the bulk of the text. They would be valuable if they were a segue to a more insightful conclusion, but they are not. They are the gist of the text.
And whenever a more interesting question pops up, it is usually left to be pondered by the reader, as something almost unknowable or unverifiable; and not something to be researched and analyzed by the author and then answered.
Also, seems like Lawson could have done a lot more scientific research if he had wanted this book to actually provide value. The field of cognitive psychology is overflowing with theories and research on human problem solving and the way people (both professionals and laymen) approach clearly vs loosely defined problems. Dipping his toe in that pool of knowledge, could surely have provided more depth and as a consequence, a more fruitful reading experience, than stating that design problems are often poorly defined which makes design difficult (again, not exact quote) and ending the conversation there.
Also, saying that social sciences are largely descriptive and not prescriptive enough to be helpful to designers, is a very uneducated statement. Lawson clearly doesn't know much about science in general and the social sciences in particular.
Very obvious statements such as "Design problems are often poorly defined" or "The client is not always the user" (not direct quotes) make up the bulk of the text. They would be valuable if they were a segue to a more insightful conclusion, but they are not. They are the gist of the text.
And whenever a more interesting question pops up, it is usually left to be pondered by the reader, as something almost unknowable or unverifiable; and not something to be researched and analyzed by the author and then answered.
Also, seems like Lawson could have done a lot more scientific research if he had wanted this book to actually provide value. The field of cognitive psychology is overflowing with theories and research on human problem solving and the way people (both professionals and laymen) approach clearly vs loosely defined problems. Dipping his toe in that pool of knowledge, could surely have provided more depth and as a consequence, a more fruitful reading experience, than stating that design problems are often poorly defined which makes design difficult (again, not exact quote) and ending the conversation there.
Also, saying that social sciences are largely descriptive and not prescriptive enough to be helpful to designers, is a very uneducated statement. Lawson clearly doesn't know much about science in general and the social sciences in particular.
Read
November 30, 2009On page 85.
Reading this book is like listening to a fortune teller telling you your deepest thoughts.
The design process is not a linear set of actions but rather a cycle of actions that need to be applied many times until the design matures, the simplest cycle mentioned was: Assimilation, Synthesis and evaluation. Design problems do not appear in the brief but mostly during the design process.
I particularly liked the Design Traps, one of them is the Puzzle Myth, that is when you think there is a single optimum solution.
Reading this book is like listening to a fortune teller telling you your deepest thoughts.
The design process is not a linear set of actions but rather a cycle of actions that need to be applied many times until the design matures, the simplest cycle mentioned was: Assimilation, Synthesis and evaluation. Design problems do not appear in the brief but mostly during the design process.
I particularly liked the Design Traps, one of them is the Puzzle Myth, that is when you think there is a single optimum solution.
April 2, 2019
a lot of babble to be honest, just two or three chapters that have some practical or useful knowledge that may help.. the other chapters are just narratives for someone who is interested in design theory or development or whatever
the 2 star rating is for the few significant quotes diffused throughout the book
the 2 star rating is for the few significant quotes diffused throughout the book
February 7, 2017
"توجه به اندیشیدن به مثابه ی مهارت (به جای موهبت)، اولین گام برای انجام دادن کاری در جهت بهبود آن مهارت ]و البته موهبت[ است." دی بونو، به نقل از لاوسن
معرفی و پیشنهاد بخش هایی از کتاب را این جا مفصل تر نوشته ام:
http://ganje.blog.ir/post/9
معرفی و پیشنهاد بخش هایی از کتاب را این جا مفصل تر نوشته ام:
http://ganje.blog.ir/post/9
February 6, 2018
A great model for thinking about design. Practically informed and unafraid of theory, theoretical without losing its firm footing in practice.
A rare attempt at a more general or comprehensive understanding of design that is sober about the inherent limits of such an attempt, from an author with ambitions beyond his particular design field (architecture) who appreciates that his perspective is only particular.
Lawson deserves the credit he gets. If only his readers were as conscientious of his project's limits as he is here.
A rare attempt at a more general or comprehensive understanding of design that is sober about the inherent limits of such an attempt, from an author with ambitions beyond his particular design field (architecture) who appreciates that his perspective is only particular.
Lawson deserves the credit he gets. If only his readers were as conscientious of his project's limits as he is here.
August 27, 2019
yeah i won't suggest this book for anyone who is studying, working or generally interested in architecture. super boring book, full of sale advises. i would change the title to "how to design a building that sells"
February 21, 2024
Alguns momentos o livro foi interessantíssimo. Outros, super arrastado. Demorei dois meses pra ler e não foi à toa.
Acho que seria muito mais útil tê-lo lido antes da graduação. Depois, alguns trechos ou ficam repetidos, ou já obsoletos. Ainda vale.
Acho que seria muito mais útil tê-lo lido antes da graduação. Depois, alguns trechos ou ficam repetidos, ou já obsoletos. Ainda vale.
May 13, 2022
I like how the writer described all design methods and the steps to develop your drawing,
May 26, 2024
Ci sono alcune cose interessanti, il resto l'ho trovato superfluo.
November 6, 2025
پراکندگی مطالب خیلی زیاد بود و ۴۰۰ صفحه کتابو خوندم آخرش به هییییچ نتیجه ای نرسیدم!
ینی کتاب به هیچ نتیجه ای نرسیده بود!
نفهمیدم طراحان چگونه می اندیشند!خود نویسنده هم نفهمیده😅
ینی کتاب به هیچ نتیجه ای نرسیده بود!
نفهمیدم طراحان چگونه می اندیشند!خود نویسنده هم نفهمیده😅
January 2, 2014
I enjoyed a lot of the points made in this book, however, there were a few problems with it. I found the book, at certain times, to be extremely thought-provoking about my own process, bringing to mind things that I may not have noticed if I hadn't read about it. Still, much of it felt architecture focused, and not entirely applicable to other disciplines. Additionally, Lawson seems overly academic, especially in that he does not want to propose a theory that could be seen as "wrong," meaning that what he proposes often falls on the side of boring. The book, as well, is dense, and definitely written by an Academic. Many times the points in the book are beleaguered, made too many times, and supported by one too many pieces of evidence. At times, I wish it was just a tad snappier in places.
December 1, 2013
worth reading. but for me, there was some useless parts like the one talking about design in groups. i suggest to read the last chapter of the book (towards a model) first; it talks about whatever is discussed through the book and you can find what is said in which chapter easily.
May 5, 2016
Very communicative for thoghtful readers. Useful guide to thinking—open minded.
This book refers for any arts and sciences dicipline—or, engineer practice. Which have several instances, and, begins with wisdom quotes in every chapter—bibliographed.
This book refers for any arts and sciences dicipline—or, engineer practice. Which have several instances, and, begins with wisdom quotes in every chapter—bibliographed.
August 18, 2016
این کتاب توسط یک معمار نوشته شده است، اما اصول کلی قابل تاملی برای طراحان صنعتی دارد. در کل مطالعه آن به طراحان پیشنهاد می شود.
این کتاب توسط انتشارات دانشگاه شهید بهشتی منتشر شده، هرچند از ترجمه زیاد راضی نبودم!
این کتاب توسط انتشارات دانشگاه شهید بهشتی منتشر شده، هرچند از ترجمه زیاد راضی نبودم!
July 10, 2017
به نظر میاد که اگه زودتر از زمان خونه بشه ممکنه به طراحی آسیب برسونه و اگر دیر تر خوانده بشه خیلی از دام ها و مشکلات طراحی بعضی وقت ها خیلی دست و پای طراحان رو میگیره که اگر از اون مطلع میشدند رانمای خوبی میتونه باشه .
July 25, 2007
buku wajib untuk yang sedang belajar disain.
[emang ini buku pegangan mahasiswa kok..he..he..]
[emang ini buku pegangan mahasiswa kok..he..he..]
July 13, 2008
This book is about the methodology of designers' thinking. It's quite interesting and easy reading!
May 16, 2010
A useful perspective on design processes and differences in design fields.
March 6, 2012
Excellent summary of design thinking for the amature. Provided some good models for thinking but it was a little dense - had to wade thru it to find worthwhile pieces.
April 1, 2012
Very interesting stuff. Wish I'd read this before working on the 1600 Amphitheater Parkway campus.
December 12, 2014
یک کتابِ فوقالعاده عالی برای یادگرفتنِ روش تفکرِ دیزاین.
An amazing book for learning about design thinking.
An amazing book for learning about design thinking.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews