How do I think about how to build things?

August 8, 2011 9:06 PM

What are the canonical authors / works on design thinking and what books / other resources would you recommend as an intro to design thinking for a social science and policy wonk?

Hey, education policy grad student and general public policy wonk too. Thanks to some dalliances into general design and urban design, I've got a hunch that design thinking could inform some pretty neat and innovative approaches to creating new policy solutions - if only I knew something about it. From those of you who make cool stuff for a living, or went to information school, please let me know:

1. What are the big schools / authors / works on design thinking? As always, timelines or summaries of major controversies are helpful.
2. In addition to or replacing those, what resources are useful to someone trying to learn about design thinking from outside the field?

Thanks!

posted by Apropos of Something to Education (3 answers total)

I just watched The Life and Times of Arthur Erickson, a biography of the fascinating, controversial, philosophical, innovative, insightful, and visionary Canadian architect. Good food for thought.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 10:06 PM on August 8, 2011

Don Norman's The Design of Everyday Things is well worth a look.
posted by crocomancer at 1:04 AM on August 9, 2011

The idea of the charrette is interesting, as a fundamental approach.

http://www.charrettecenter.net/
posted by sebastienbailard at 2:57 AM on August 12, 2011