WICKEDPROBLEMSBY RICHARD BUCHANAN

BRYAN BENAIM & AMY LOUIE

RICHARD BUCHANAN, PH. D.

- Professor of Design Management and Information Systems at Weatherhead School of Management Case Western Reserve University

- served as head of the School of Design and as director of doctoral studies - has a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago

SCIENCE AND THE ARTS

THE WICKED PROBLEMS

- A form of social or cultural problem that is difficult to solve because of incomplete, contradictory, and changing requirements- typically offloaded to policy makers, or are written off as being too cumbersome to bother with - but effects each and every one of us (poverty, sustainability, equality and health and wellness)

4 DESIGN MODES OF EXPLORATION

[1] symbolic and visual communications[2] material objects[3] activities and organized services[4] complex systems for environments for living, working, playing and learning

RITTEL AND WEBBER

- 10 key characteristics the define a wicked problem

- A wicked problem is not simply illustrated by being difficult to understand or cope with

- Complicated societal issue

TEDX: WUJEC

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

[1] How does this effect or correlate with creativity? Does a wicked problem have the ability to hinder creative practices or does it encourage growth and new thinking towards different problems?

[2] How do we decide what is a wicked problem? Given the problem of poverty, what are some steps that one would take to help solve the issue? Whose job is it to spark the movement to solve these types of problems?