Abduction

Since Kim came in and spoke with us I have been thinking a whole lot about abduction. Abduction is a method of design synthesis wherein we filter raw, hard data through our own personal experience to make insights for design problems. I have already, without realizing it, been synthesizing my research through abduction, since I began designing. Abduction requires the researcher to have some significant level of confidence in his/her interpretation of the world through their experiences, and the data that is paired with this experience helps to validate insights for the researcher and the client. As I keep working to build a new shoe sole, I have to trust my own experience to justify my aesthetics and much of my design, while the data I have collected has given me the constraints and direction I need to get moving confidently toward the best solution to the problem I have picked out.