OTHER THOUGHTS

Just as in learning any new skill or procedure, it is helpful to move slowly and methodically. SUMMARY
The design process should be considered a useful orga­nizational tool for the designer. For example, soil, climate, building codes, plant materials, and construction methods are apt to be well under­stood and appreciated as standard working knowledge. The design process involves both rational and intuitive judgments and skills. Despite the particulars, it should guide a designer in seeking an appropriate design solution in a thoughtful yet creative manner. In other cases, certain steps of the process are repeated before being entirely com­pleted. If the de­signer is weak in any one of these areas, the quality of the resulting design will also be diminished despite the designer’s best intentions. The beginning designer should carefully record and document each step of the process as a learning experience. The success of the design process and the resulting design depends ultimately on the designer’s own abilities, experiences, knowledge, insights, judgments, and creativity. Consequently, the designer needs to carefully evaluate each new project at the beginning to determine what is required and how (by what process) the design should be solved. Owing to its importance in systematizing a designer’s thoughts and methods, it is essential that the inexperienced designer proceed thoughtfully through all the necessary steps. The designer needs a sensitivity to shapes and forms in addition to a feel for space and volume in undertaking these particular steps. Although these skills and sensitivities can be talked about, their execution often depends on an internal subjectivity that defies clear and logical explanation. For example, gathering information for the preparation of a base map and conducting a site analysis may occur in the same visit. But it does provide a framework for design talent to be used effectively. Similarly, the design process may be utilized slightly differently each time a new project is undertaken. Eventually, residential site designs that are visually and functionally successful as well as being emotionally satisfying require sensitive observation, thorough study, experience, inspiration, and subjective creativity. There is another factor that should be understood about the design process. This is not to say the designer can start anywhere in the process or jump randomly from one step to another. From the preceding breakdown, it might seem that the design process is a straightfor­ward and logical procedure that always leads to a well-executed and successful design. Thus, the site analysis may be seen as recurring throughout the development of the design solution. For the experienced designer, much of the process is apt to be second nature. In fact, such practice is quite healthy and often necessary to create a successful design solution. Or the clients’ program may be very simple with obvious solutions. One other thought should be expressed about the design process. For example, a particular residential site may be so small that mak­ing an exhaustive site analysis would be a waste of time. Consequently, the use of the design process may seem rather tedious and laborious the first several times it is applied. Often a renewed look at a site during the design phase can be valuable because the designer can view the site with a more critical and questioning eye. But as one be­comes more accustomed to the process, many of its steps will become more intuitive and may often occur more quickly. First, the design process doesn’t always occur as a well-defined sequence of steps, even though it was presented that way. For instance, once the design is begun, the designer may wish to return to the site for a closer inspection. Nevertheless, the design process should be thought of as a general outline of steps for organizing design thoughts and procedures.