Fourth Order Design
Fourth Order Design is a design approach initially proposed in the early 1990s by Richard Buchanan (academic).[1] It incorporates elements of Social engineering (political science)|social planning into the practice of design, on top of ongoing design trends throughout the twentieth century (e.g. process/systems design). Buchanan has returned to discussing the topic several times, as the field of design grows and changes. [2][3][4] Fourth Order Design broadly categorizes subsequent orders of design by the scale of their resulting outputs.
First Order- Symbolic and Visual Communications
This order of design is typically referred to as Graphic design, though its definition has grown to encompass many more outputs. These include:
- typography
- advertising
- book and magazine production
- scientific illustration
- photography
- film
- television
- computer display[1]
Second Order - Material Objects
Traditionally encompassing concern for the visual appearance and form of everyday objects. This includes:
- clothing
- domestic objects
- tools
- instruments
- machinery
- vehicles
This has also expanded to include a diverse interpretation of the physical, psychological, social, and cultural relationships between products and human beings.[1]
Third Order - Activities and Organized Services
As above, these have traditionally included considerations of:
- logistics
- combining physical resources
- instrumentalities
- efficient sequences and schedules to reach specified objectives
Thinking broadly about the Third Order, this area has changed to be most directly concerned with the connections and consequences of ideas.[1]
Implementation
One of the main difficulties in implementing Fourth Order Design is that the scope of issues which it is used for involve a variety of disciplines, departments, and clients. Therefore measuring the outcomes of any given implementation can become just as large as the issue itself.[5] This exists at odds with a more traditional design approach where both the designer and the user share considerably more proximity both spatially and temporally.
Barometer Systems
One proposed method of measuring the validity of a fourth order design approach is the use of a Barometer System.
Such systems are de facto indicators of the health of the wider system. These activities are those which:
- Live and work at the interface between the producer and the user systems (i.e., they have regular communication with the host environment; they are "open" to that environment; and they are receptors of its messages).
- Are in a feedback mode (i.e., they are commissioned to listen to the host environment).
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Buchanan, Richard (1992). "Wicked Problems in Design Thinking". Design Issues. 8 (2): 5–21. doi:10.2307/1511637. ISSN 0747-9360.
- ↑ Buchanan, Richard (Autumn 2001). "Design Research and the New Learning". Design Issues. 17: 3–23 – via JSTOR.
- ↑ Buchanan, Richard (2019-01-01). "Surroundings and Environments in Fourth Order Design". Design Issues. 35 (1): 4–22. doi:10.1162/desi_a_00517. ISSN 0747-9360.
- ↑ Buchanan, Richard (1998). "Branzi's Dilemma: Design in Contemporary Culture". Design Issues. 14 (1): 3–20. doi:10.2307/1511825. ISSN 0747-9360.
- ↑ Herriott, Richard (2019-04-01). "Project scale and the wicked problem in Fourth Order design". The Design Journal. 22 (sup1): 695–705. doi:10.1080/14606925.2019.1595448. ISSN 1460-6925.
External links
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