On the Problem of Design Problems - problem solving and design expertise

In this paper we will concentrate on exploring a subject that has been much neglected in Design Methodology: the structure of design problems. First we describe what we can find in Design Methodology about the structure of design problems. This will focus on the descriptions of design problems as underdetermined problems and on the way design problems are treated within the two paradigms of design methodology. Then we set out to develop a novel approach to the study of design problems, that is based on the situated nature of design problems and the evolutionary nature of design processes. In doing this, we find that how designers perceive, interpret, structure and solve design problems cannot really be understood without taking their level of design expertise into account.