The Evolution of Design – Models and Modes

Abstract

Objective: To address the evolution of design from the perspective of human factors/ergonomics (HF/E), with a focus on the phenomenon of performance-design interaction that supports such evolution. Method: Six different models of design evolution are reviewed, four of which have evident parallels with patterns of natural evolution. Result: All of these models implicitly or explicitly emphasize performance-design interaction as a central HF/E feature of design evolution. Yet the different models also display a distinct lack of consistency insofar as underlying assumptions about exactly how design evolution proceeds. Conclusion: A context specificity interpretation for the latter observation is offered, namely that new designs evoke new patterns of behavior, leading in turn to newer designs, suggesting that design evolution may display more than one trajectory and therefore may conform to more than one model. Application: The critical role of human work in guiding and facilitating the evolution of design is emphasized.