Abductive Thinking and Sensemaking: The Drivers of Design Synthesis
Journal Review
The process of design is described as a way of making sense of chaos; synthesizing gathered data into a cohesive and continuous structure. Synthesis in design practice is frequently performed in the head or as messy sketches, mapping out the observations through a thinking process, hidden from the view of the client, only reflecting the tangible outcome. This outcome may seem magic because of the lack of understandable documentation, arguing how the design idea developed from research data. The informalisation of design synthesis leads to its implicit nature, proclaiming it to be of no value and waste of time and resources to the clients; this may be seen as an appreciation for the money or criticized for the discount.
Synthesis is an abductive sensemaking process, understanding connections, and patterns, and then anticipating the best explanation in form of ideas, thoughts, and reflections. As the idea forms something tangible, it can be discussed and collaborated. But this still puts the notion of synthesis as an internal, personal process. The abductive nature of design synthesis encompasses the designer’s work and life experiences, relating it to insight and creative problem-solving. It involves prioritizing, judging, and forging connections, accomplished by using an often implicit scale of hypothesis based on inference, experience, and assumption.
Design synthesis starts as grouping and organizing gathered data, labeling them to make explicit the implied contents, and then concluding. By taking the data out of the cognitive and digital realm, implicit and hidden meaning is uncovered. The method of reframing, concept mapping and insight combining illustrates the abductive nature and subjective judgment involved, as there is no way of knowing through deductive or inductive reasoning. It is putting together “I saw this” and “I know this”.
The magic may seem so, as it is derived from the logical processes of abduction and the cognitive psychology theory of sensemaking and design synthesis.
