The Core of Kees Dorst’s Design Thinking

Kees Dorst is Professor of Design Innovation at the University of Technology, Sydney and his research examines the nature of design problems and frameworks for solving them. For nearly two decades, Dorst’s work (2006; 2012; 2015; 2017; Dorst & Cross, 2001) has focused on defining design problems outside of the dominant design science paradigm and developing an approach adequate to problems he understands as “open, complex, dynamic, and networked” (Dorst, 2015). His goal is to create a method for designers to achieve ‘out-of-the-box” thinking that can address complex problems that have resisted routine problem-solving approaches. Dorst’s method offers a unique opportunity for designers like technical communicators to apply specific rhetorical skills in providing innovative solutions to wicked problems. This literature review will cover three areas: Dorst’s conception of design problems and how it differs from approaches based on Herbert Simon’s influential work on ill-structured probl