1.   Design Precedents

Because we need to understand more about how we have designed in the past in order to design more sustainably in the future, we need to start the design process with an understanding of what kinds of things have a determining influence on our designing. This might sound a bit nonsensical, but it really isn't. No design is 'original' in the sense that it has no heritage. Everything we design has some design precedent in the world and in our minds. For example, even if a piece of music sounds entirely new, with careful listening a mix of recognisable elements will emerge that nonetheless together in this new form might 'break new ground'. So before we begin designing anything, we have to carefully consider these precedents and what we can learn from them.

Exercises:
 
1 Create 3 headings across a page: Me; Product; Uses.
2 Under 'Me' write a short (20 word) statement about why you are designing this product. Then list all of the ideas you have or are starting to assemble related to this task: other designs you have seen and your impressions of them; elements you want to incorporate but you are not yet sure how to; influential images and other cultural forms. What is your overall impression of your product-to-be, what do you want it to communicate to the world?
3 Thinking about what needs your product must serve, what it must be able to do (function) and over what period of time, list under 'Product' as many specific products as you can that already do some or all of these things, even if not made specifically for the intended purpose. So for example, if you are designing a display for notes, messages, reminders (noticeboard) you might also list 'refrigerator' as a precedent.
4 Under 'Uses' list all the ways that you know people use the above products: how often and when are they used, are they used differently in different environments? What habits have they created: do people use them carefully and look after them or are they run fast and hard until they fall apart? You may need to interview users of these products to get a good picture of the range of these uses (See User Research on the left menu).
5 Select a 'proxy' product to work with. If possible, it should be nearing the end of its use-life. This product should be a 'benchmark' that is, what you consider to be the next best product around to what you are designing, perhaps a 'competitor'. By the time you finish this guide, you will know this product inside out and rather than replicating its successes, should be aiming to learn from its errors. The point here is to support front-end decisions by learning more about their consequences.