Death to the double diamond

Here are two extremes. There’s always the exact same predictable path to solving a problem. For example, I can tell you exactly what steps and in what order I’ll take those steps so I can solve a simple math problem. The same process has worked for many years and will work for hundreds more. Or, There’s never the same predictable path to solving a problem. In soccer, you cannot predict the plays that are going to score a goal because you don’t have control of the opposing team’s defense. To score a goal, you’re reacting and working through to the unpredictable situations and challenges in front of you. What makes the path to solving a problem predictable or unpredictable? It has to do with how much control you have over influencing factors. On one hand, it would be much easier to land punches on Floyd Mayweather if you could control how he defends or, it would be easier to score a touchdown if you could choose the defensive plays for the opposing team. But you can’t, so in order to win a boxing match or American football game you need to respond to the specific and unpredictable challenges in front of you. On the other hand, if you have the ability to control all the factors that influence the outcome. Whether you’re in a laboratory conducting experiments, solving a math problem, or following a cooking recipe in a kitchen, the process to achieve the desired outcome is both repeatable and predictable. <img alt="" src="https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:700/1*-MESrASa0tVmTotacaKnEQ.png" style="height:285px; width:700px" /> The more control you have over influencing factors, the more predictable the problem-solving process can be. The less control you have over influencing factors, the less predictable the problem-solving process can be. <h2>Prescriptive vs. emergent</h2> For these two types of problems, there’s a different strategy for solving them. When you have high degree of control and predictability, like a math problem, you can be “prescriptive”. This means that beforehand, you can apply a known process with steps that have been proven to work in order to solve the problem. The prescriptive approach is centered around executing and optimizing the steps that have already been established to be effective. It involves following a predefined sequence of steps, making it ideal when consistent and predictable results are desired on a repetitive basis. For less predictable problems that you have less control over, like a soccer game, boxing match or most real-world scenarios, its best to apply an “emergent” strategy. Emergent strategy is more about finding ways to address the unpredictable challenges and situations that you encounter along the way. It involves many characteristics of “muddling through” that <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/973677" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">Charles Lindblom coined back in 1959</a>. Emergent approach is more about learning, adapting and experimenting incrementally to find a solution. <a href="https://uxdesign.cc/death-to-the-double-diamond-296b1c4e51c4">Visit Now</a>