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Listed here are four design misconceptions and two secrets, and to be truthful, none are really secrets at all! Like the ‘secrets to baking,’ they are merely handy recipes. The secrets, therefore, are actually insights into successful practice that are worth bearing in mind as you embark on the journey of design.
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​​​​​​​Design misconceptions and secrets

1. The spontaneous solution misconception
​​​​​​​It’s a misconception that designing involves the designer spontaneously coming up with a solution to a problem that springs from their mind, complete. It is not so. Instead, designing takes thought, effort, and time. It is more like a process of discovery, where, in a series of steps: we endeavour to understand the problem better; we prioritise certain parts of the design problem; we come up with solutions, drawing and prototyping our ideas; we rework those ideas and improve them; we discuss them with colleagues and users; and gradually we converge on a final design idea, ardently producing drawings, prototypes, and so forth, that are required to complete the project. This is known as ‘the design process.’ It is important for designers to think about the process as much as the end-product of their efforts. Designing is as much a journey as it is a destination, and each time that we embark on the journey, we accumulate knowledge and experience that will surely come handy in future.

2. The naïve genius misconception
It’s a misconception that a novice, in their naïve ignorance, can come up with a revolutionary solution to a problem. The truth is that you need to know your subject well in order to solve its problems. The best person to design something will be an expert in the subject. Yet a professional designer may know very little about the topic at the outset of the design process, which is why they will expend a lot of time and effort to learn about the thing that they are designing, accumulating as much knowledge as they can, in as short a time as possible. That is not to say that an expert will inevitably come up with an amazing solution themselves. Having extensive knowledge of a subject, and having the creative imagination to come up with excellent new ideas, are two separate skills.

3. The superstar designer misconception
The idea of the superstar designer is a misconception. While it is not unusual for designers to work alone, most substantial design projects of any type are done by teams of designers. Even superstar designers work in teams, though we rarely hear about their collaborators. People work more effectively in groups as their interactions lead to better and more diverse ideas, and working like that is fun, whereas the alternative can be dull and lonely. Multidisciplinary teams, which are teams of people with expertise in different fields, can bring their diverse knowledge to bear for the benefit of all. For a team to work together successfully, its members must trust each other and be dedicated to the project, they must freely discuss the design problem, they must candidly explore how to go about it, they must willingly offer solutions, and they must deal honestly with problems as they arise. Having a harmonious and effective team is not easy, yet the rewards are immense. Therefore, if you ever see a designer working alone, they are probably not doing anything complicated, and they are certainly not doing anything complex.

4. The process misconception
It’s a misconception that following a process such as design thinking, and doing everything right, will inevitably lead to good outcomes. That’s like believing that if you follow the rules of chess, you will surely win the game. Doing things right only increases your likelihood of success, but it cannot substitute for what goes on inside your head, in other words, your imagination. Most engineers will solve problems using tried-and-tested ways, which are adequate and work well. But, it takes a creative engineer to solve a problem in a new way. Truly creative solutions are a result of concentrated effort combined with an ability to ‘think outside the box,’ that is, to find a novel solution to a problem that most people would not see. Therefore, it’s up to you to employ your boundless mental faculties and to resolutely persevere, if you hope to design something truly exceptional. The truth is that designing takes a lot of perspiration and a little bit of inspiration.

5. The iterative secret
Every designer soon learns the secret that designing is an iterative process. You try different solutions, first this then that, you draw numerous versions of the same thing, you make many different prototypes, altering and improving them constantly. Iterating stimulates your creativity. It works like this: you have an idea; you sketch it; you inspect the sketch; the sketch triggers a new idea; so you draw another sketch; and so it continues. It is as if a dialogue is taking place between you and your sketches, the ongoing dialogue evolves into a conversation, and like a good conversation, it leads you to places that you never anticipated. The humble pencil and paper are the expert designer’s weapons of choice. Like a quill in the hands of a writer, with pencil and paper, a designer can build entire worlds in little time, and at no cost at all. The secret is that designers can iterate forever, because human imagination and creativity are boundless.

​​​​​​​6. The non-linear secret
We humans are not programmable machines. We don’t solve problems by plodding mindlessly along a step-by-step process. So, although the design thinking process for Level IV follows the steps: first empathise, then define, then ideate, then prototype, and so forth; the reality is not so straightforward. A design process is a guide, it is not a hard-and-fast rule. A designer might get an idea and begin by building a prototype and testing their idea first, before going back to the empathise stage to learn more. A design team might follow the design thinking process, but, after testing and unhappy with the results, they return to the define stage and start again. A design process where you start in the middle, or go back, or repeat stages, is called non-linear. And that is fine because the goal is to produce something amazing, no matter what it takes.
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Discussion

• What other activities that you can think of, aside from designing, take thought, effort, and time?
• Does the naïve genius misconception exist in other fields of endeavour?
• Where else do you find superstars getting all the acclaim for success that is actually earned by teams?
• Can you think of any other kinds of activities where following a process correctly does not necessarily lead to success?
• Can you think of any other kinds of activities that can benefit from iteration?