Amogh N P
✦ In loving memory of Amogh N P — Architect · Designer · Visionary ✦
A wall of study models — one scheme, refined again and again.
Lesson II25ARS121 · Architectural Design I

The Design Process

An iterative loop — not a straight line.

≈ 30 min

Beginners imagine design is a straight line: read the brief, have an idea, draw it. It isn't. Design is a loop — you analyse, make something, see what's wrong, and go round again, often reframing the problem itself. Learning to be comfortable in that messy middle is the real skill.

Learning objectives

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to — mapped to the course outcomes for Building Materials & Construction I:

1
CO2 · Understand

Explain why the design process is iterative, not linear.

2
CO2 · Understand

Describe 'wicked' design problems — where defining the problem is part of designing.

3
CO2 · Apply

Use divergent and convergent thinking (the Double Diamond).

4
CO2 · Understand

Place studio design within the professional RIBA Plan of Work.

How design really moves

A loop, not a line

The classic stages — analyse, synthesise, evaluate — repeat. And design problems are “wicked” (Rittel & Webber): ill-defined, with no single right answer, so how you frame the problem shapes the solution. Framing is part of designing.[1, 2]

The design process is a loop, not a line BriefAnalyseSynthesiseEvaluateDevelopCommunicate reframe & loop back
DiagramThe iterative design process as a loop with a reframe feedback arrow
Design problems are “wicked” Tame clear start, clear stop, one right answer Wicked no stopping rule — defining it IS designing it Rittel & Webber (1973): how you frame the problem shapes its possible answers — so framing is part of the work.
DiagramA tame problem with a clear start and stop versus a wicked, ill-defined problem
Maps for the messy middle

Models of the process

A few models help you navigate. Select one.

An iterative loop

Brief → analyse → synthesise → evaluate → develop → communicate — but you move back and forth, looping and reframing as you learn. Design by analysis, synthesis and evaluation, repeated.[1]

The Double Diamond DiscoverDefineDevelopDeliver the problem the solution diverge → converge diverge → converge Two diamonds: first explore and frame the right problem, then explore and resolve the right solution (Design Council).
DiagramThe Double Diamond design model: discover, define, develop, deliver across a problem space and a solution space
Successive plan iterations sketched on a roll of trace.
PhotoSuccessive plan iterations sketched on a roll of trace.
Trace-paper overlays — each sheet refining the one beneath.
PhotoTrace-paper overlays — each sheet refining the one beneath.
A divergent spread of concept sketches, one circled.
PhotoA divergent spread of concept sketches, one circled.
Diagrams, model and drawings pinned together — communicating.
PhotoDiagrams, model and drawings pinned together — communicating.
Check your understanding

Self-assessment

1. The design process is best described as:

2. Who described design problems as 'wicked'?

3. The four phases of the Double Diamond are:

In a nutshell

Recap

Design is an iterative loop — analyse, synthesise, evaluate, repeat — not a straight line.
Design problems are 'wicked'; framing the problem is part of the work (Rittel & Webber).
Alternate divergent (many ideas) and convergent (one scheme) thinking — the Double Diamond.
Studio design sits in the early concept stages of the professional RIBA Plan of Work.
The evidence

References & further reading

  1. [1]The iterative design process (analysis–synthesis–evaluation, cyclical). Smartsheet; design-process literature. https://www.smartsheet.com/iterative-process-guide
  2. [2]Rittel, H. & Webber, M. (1973). Dilemmas in a General Theory of Planning ('wicked problems'). Policy Sciences 4. https://urbanpolicy.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Rittel-Webber_1973_DilemmasInAGeneralTheoryOfPlanning.pdf
  3. [3]The Double Diamond (Discover, Define, Develop, Deliver). UK Design Council. https://www.designcouncil.org.uk/our-resources/the-double-diamond/
  4. [4]RIBA Plan of Work 2020 — the eight stages. Royal Institute of British Architects. https://www.riba.org/media/sszn5kkt/2020ribaplanofworktemplatepdf.pdf

Further reading

  • Lawson, B. (2005). How Designers Think: The Design Process Demystified (4th ed.). Oxford: Architectural Press.
  • Cross, N. (2011). Design Thinking: Understanding How Designers Think and Work. Oxford: Berg.
  • Cross, N. (2006). Designerly Ways of Knowing. London: Springer.

Sources gathered and fact-checked June 2026. Published values vary by source, sample and method — treat as indicative and confirm against the cited standard before structural use.