Frame creation is composed of ten principles

The nine step process of frame creation is useful, but prescriptive and not always easy to apply. Dorst lists ten core principles depict the frame creation approach to problem-solving.[1]

General Principles:

  1. Attack the context – Solutions to complex problems are rooted in context
  2. Suspend judgment – Appraisal of a complex problem’s context is objective
  3. Embrace complexity – Solving complex problems avoids simplification
  4. Zoom out, expand, and concentrate – Solving complex problems requires understanding the context

Essential Quality in Each Stage:

  1. Search for patterns – Solutions to complex problems are based on pattern recognition
  2. Deepen themes – Solutions to complex problems depend on creation of themes
  3. Sharpen the frames – Solutions to complex problems depends on a clear frame

Application Strategies:

  1. Be prepared – Solving complex problems requires laying considerable groundwork
  2. Create the moment – Solving complex problems requires having the right participants
  3. Follow through – Solving complex problems requires intentional follow-through

#design #innovation-creativity #frame-innovation

See also:

  1. Frame Innovation – Dorst (2015), ch. 5 § “The principles of frame creation.” ↩︎