Wicked Problems in Design Thinking

Buchanan imports Rittel and Webber's concept of "wicked problems" into design theory and argues that contemporary design is defined by them. Wicked problems resist definition: formulating the problem is already a solution, and every solution creates new problems. For product direction this is the clearest framing of why product work sits between engineering and art without belonging to either — a practice conducted under conditions where the rules of both break down. Buchanan connects design thinking to a broader tradition of rhetoric and invention, which gives the modern popularisation of "design thinking" a more serious lineage than most of its contemporary advocates inherit. A short paper, densely argued; worth reading twice.