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Design methodology Ed. Cross, N. 'Developments in design methodology', John Wiley, Chichester, UK (1984) 368 pp £27.50

Those readers of Design Studies who want to understand the roots of our discipline will find this edited volume a compulsive read. For those having the responsibility of educat- ing our young designers on the broad yet subtle methodological principles underpinning design, the book will be invaluable and ought to become a set text on every undergraduate read- ing list. For those who have a par- ticular interest in architecture, en- vironmental design or planning the volume is simply a 'must'. For, quite uniquely, Nigel Cross has brought together a set of papers in this edition which rigorously trace the development of design methodology over the past two decades and com- prehensively maps out this field of endeavour.

The papers in the volume have clearly been chosen to provide a wholistic picture of the progress of design methodology since the early sixties. Some of the papers chosen for inclusion are now out of print and almost impossible to obtain from any other source. The value of other papers has been revealed by a careful juxtaposition with those already rec- ognised as influential. The volume undoubtedly highlights the ideas and contributions of authors important to the evolution of studies concern- ing design. It does not pretend to be a book of design methods or offer a new methodology for design. It is a reference book with a rich and catho- lic attitude to design methodology - the study of the principles, practices and procedures of design. In this latter respect it provides an exciting and full picture of developments in design methodology since its incep- tion as a discipline.

The book deals chronologically with the evolution of the 'design

methods movement'. Papers in part one of the volume by Jones; Alexan- der; Archer; and Luckman focus on the development of systematic proce- dures for overall management of the design process and reflect the major concerns of those involved in the methods movement at its start. In this 60's period of Harold Wilson's white hot technology and industrial urgency, everything seemed possible and everyone was looking for greater efficiency. In this respect new tech- niques of problem solving, man- agement and operations research were thought to be totally suited to design and designing. The papers in this section indicate why the authors thought this to be the case for design. Unfortunately by 1966 it had become clear that complexity of most design problems together with their 'wickedness' ruled out design pro- cesses as being suitable for simple systematisation. And, therefore, in part two of this volume, papers by Levin; Alexander and Poyner; Rittel and Webber; and Simon indicate the change in focus of researchers to- wards trying to understand the struc- ture of design problems and in par- ticular to a concern with how design methodology might begin to cope with complex and ill-structured problems.

By 1973 the research emphasis had changed yet again from the 'prob- lem' to the 'activity' of design itself and the behaviour of designers. In part three, aptly named the 'Nature of the design activity', papers by Darke; Akin; Lawson; and Thomas and Carrol describe a range of obser- vational methods developed in an attempt to understand the way desig- ners normally or conventionally tackle their problem solving. This section of the book closes the discus- sion on the 'deceptive phase' of the development of design methodology.

Part four shows a major change in the mood and style of research into the methodology of design. The pap- ers in this section are drawn from the

period 1972-1982; a decade char- acterised by greater reflection and more mature thought on the fun- damental issues underpinning this field of endeavour. While this period of development in design methodolo- gy clearly depends heavily upon knowledge learned and lessons gained from the previous decade, it also sees a growth in more philo- soph ica l or e p i s t e m o l o g i c a l approaches to design research. Pap- ers in this section by Hillier, Mus- grove and O'Sullivan; March; Broadbent; and Daley show the catholic and changing attitudes to design methodology over the period. The full force and nature of this change is dealt with in the final part of the book where the leading parti- cipants in the history of design methodology are asked to present their current views. This is done either in the form of new papers or as part of a dialogue with another de- liberately inquisitive mind. With this in mind papers in this section are again by the authors Alexander, Rit- tel, Jones, Broadbent and Archer. One of the major surprises in this section has been the way attitudes and views have changed over the two decades covered by the book. 'Pro- tagonists have become antagonists, and internal debate has become in- ternicene conflict'. It is a fascinating debate and one which ! believe will stimulate discussion in many quar- ters.

The book reveals the inevitable process of maturation in any area of study. The discipline of design methodology is now in a much stron- ger condition to return to its origins and to work towards a prescription of realistic ideals for the future. The book helps start that process and should therefore be read by all those who have a vested interest in for- warding the study of design. I there- fore commend the book as an impor- tant contribution to the development of design methodology.

James Powell

174 0142-694X/86/02174-02 $03.00 O 1986 Butterworth & Co (Publishers) Ltd DESIGN STUDIES