In praise of Methodology

As designers we often face with the argument about a need for a Design or Research Methodology. There are people who believe that design is intuitive and has to do with creativity; and thus a methodology would not be needed. Some would argue that they usually don’t follow any methodology and still can make a good product.

To some degree this approach (of not follwing a Methodology) to design is adequate. But the real problem arises when a designer faces a "complex problem". It’s then that a methodology comes for a rescue. Methodology can never make a person or a design creative. But what it insures is a step by step process in solving it. Breaking up the problem into smaller part with an understanding of their connections is very critical step in solving a complex problem. Design is all about trying to solve a problem taking into all the practical constraints possible. With proper constraints even the smallest of details are taken care of - and thats what makes some design stand out from other. Beause they take all built with the right constraints.

Most of the time, the design problem is not so complex. That one needs a methodology to be followed. But designers who have a good understanding of it can really take up challenging problem; I call them “Technically” strong designer, they are “Technical Designers”. It’s methodology which gives a lot of flexibility to a designer.

So if a designer says that he never follows a methodology – that’s because either he doesn’t know one or s/he doesn’t understands it.