Design is a continuous, looping process.
It is a loop that begins with observing a situation, then establishing a brief for your work, developing ideas, and testing those ideas—trying them out in some way and observing what happens.
Then we are back to observing again. Except we aren’t back in the same place, because the system has changed. It now includes your idea.
The second time around, we are observing a changed world—a world altered by our developing and testing of ideas in response to a brief.
Now, we can update the brief to create a better set of requirements—a set informed by what happened the last time we went around the loop.
Each conversation with a client about needs and possibilities is a journey around the design loop.
Each time we share sketches with the design team, we go around the loop once more.
Assembling tender drawings and receiving tender responses—another orbit.
Early contractor input, detailed design, on-site meetings to resolve design issues—all further revolutions.
Every time we loop the loop, we learn something more about the system we are working in and how we are changing it.