Design Thinking - Origins of The Term

Origins of The Term

(For a detailed evolution, see History, below.)

While in retrospect much design activity of the 20th century (and earlier) can be considered "design thinking," the term first emerged prominently in the 1980s with the rise of human-centered design. The notion of design as a "way of thinking" can be traced in the sciences to Herbert A. Simon's 1969 book The Sciences of the Artificial, and more specifically in design engineering to Robert McKim's 1973 book Experiences in Visual Thinking. Rolf Faste expanded McKim's work in the 80s and 90s in his teaching at Stanford, defining and popularizing the idea of "design thinking" as a way of creative action that was adapted for business purposes by IDEO through his colleague David M. Kelley. Peter Rowe's 1987 book Design Thinking was the first noteworthy usage of the term in the literature on design, providing a systematic account of problem solving procedures used by architects and urban planners. The 1992 article by Richard Buchanan titled "Wicked Problems in Design Thinking" expressed a broader view of design thinking that has been highly influential with regard to addressing intractable human concerns through design. Today there is considerable academic and business interest in understanding design thinking and design cognition, including an ongoing series of symposia on research in design thinking.