Ulrich Response

I found this text different than many of the readings I've done about design while in school. This article took a much different approach than I was use to be describing design in a more industrial and engineering context rather than straight graphic design. I think that design has such a broad spectrum that using any niche in the design field as an example to explain the process of getting from problem to solution through exploration would have sufficed. However, I appreciate that in this case it was not in the context in graphic design, maybe it held my attention a little better to read about familiar concepts in a light that I don't usually see them in. I agree that this is a valuable text to read as a practicing designer because without the process - there is generally no solution. It's almost impossible to come up with the 'right' solution without any background understanding or trial and error. I believe that's just the nature of the field. I appreciated the way that Ulrich talked about drawing abstractly to get across the point of view for the purpose of exploring through representation and abstraction. It solidified for me that as a designer trying to come up with a solution - this type of drawing is all that is proficient for the process. 'Good abstractions suppress details that have little relevance for the central design decisions at hand.' p 41