Natural and Artificial Intelligence in Design

The majority of this article explored the concept of natural design. According to the article, everyone can design, and I believe that to be true. However, just like other talents, like singing for example, some designers are better than others. This is either an innate ability or through training in the elements of design. The author wrote of how the design should persuade the client to love it, and go beyond the requirements and expectations the client specified. He stated that "design is exploratory" and that it is a designer job to strive to discover something new and innovative. A designer should look at a problem and find solutions from new points of view, altering their ideas as "the solution and the problem develop together." The author claims that "design is opportunistic" and delights in the evolution from function to form. They take the intellectual development of ideas and actually produce a physical reflection of it. However, design is not just one bright idea. "Design is ambiguous" and therefore designers must keep an open mind and let ideas change and evolve. Because of this uncertainty in designing, the author explicitly states that "design is risky," and never has a tangible or correct answer. Trusting one's instincts is important in design. Like a detective using his gut, a designer must weigh his possible solutions and select the one he thinks most aptly solves the problem. To help sort out these possible solutions, designers use sketching. Sketching works similar to writing in that it helps the designer sort through their thoughts and find new ways of thinking. The visual representation translates the designer's ideas for the client and builders, clarifies their ideas, and helps with the discovery process. When designing, one must consider everything from the overall concept to small details of the space. A designer must have the ability to "recall relevant knowledge" and consider both limitations and possibilities. A machine can be programmed to do a lot of things, but can it find new innovative solutions and sift through those possibilities? While programs are now available to help designers create visual representation of their ideas, I do not believe the machines will have the capability to discover these ideas on their own.

A current computer design program

Will natural design have to compete with artificial intelligence in design?

A sketch of Frank Lloyd Wright's Falling Water design