Design for Uncertainty

It is impossible to predict the infinite number of creative, serendipitous, and unexpected uses of a product or service. Embracing and encouraging this unpredictability is an important part of the inclusive design process. Although it relies on serendipity and other unknowable factors, unexpected uses can be encouraged by giving the user ways to extend, remix, share, repurpose, and in other ways personalise the “final product”.

Staying open to new ideas in the design process for as long as possible, getting designs into users’ hands early and often, and making it easy and attractive for the design team to respond to change are some of the ways that uncertainty can be embraced.

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