Abstract
Descriptions of problem-solution “co-evolution” either explicitly or implicitly draw an analogy between processes of design and processes of biological evolution. Analogies of this kind are common in research because of their potential to assist in explanation and discovery. However, reviewing the design literature reveals that the discussion of design co-evolution has become disconnected from the biological analogy on which it is founded, and from which other disciplines draw. Here, I explore the function of the co-evolution analogy, provide an illustrative example from biology, and explore the varieties of co-evolution to which design might be compared. By doing so, I propose two possible directions for expanding the design co-evolution concept: (i) examining what co-evolves in addition to, or instead of, problems and solutions, and (ii) examining the different levels at which co-evolution occurs. Both of these proposals are illustrated with a variant of the design co-evolution diagram.
Highlights
In the first part of this two-part article, I summarized how design researchers have used the concept of “co-evolution” to describe how representations of problems and solutions change during a project
Given the very long history of discussions about something like co-evolution in design, and the wealth of relevant descriptions of similar processes in other fields, what distinguishes the actual concept of co-evolution? I argue here that it is separated from other similar concepts by the biological analogy on which it is founded
Design researchers have used the term “co-evolution” to refer to how representations of problems and solutions change during a project
Summary
In the first part of this two-part article, I summarized how design researchers have used the concept of “co-evolution” to describe how representations of problems and solutions change during a project. Abstract Descriptions of problem-solution “co-evolution” either explicitly or implicitly draw an analogy between processes of design and processes of biological evolution.
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