Horst Rittel
Encyclopedia
Horst Willhelm Jakob Rittel (* 14 July 1930 in Berlin
, † 9 July 1990 in Heidelberg
) was a German-born design theorist and university professor. He is best-known (along with M. Webber) for coining the term wicked problem
, but his influence on design theory and practice was also much wider.
His field of work is the Science of Design, or, as it also known, the area of Design Theories and Methods (DTM), with the understanding that activities like planning, engineering, policy making are included as
particular forms of design.
In response to the perceived failures of early attempts at systematic design, he introduced the concept of 'second generation design methods
' and a planning/design method known as Issue-Based Information System
(IBIS) for handling wicked problems.
(for 'Issue-Based Information System') is the instrumental version of the understanding of design as argumentation. It is a method to guide the design process and to reinforce deliberation and argumentation. A number of computer-based versions of IBIS have been and are being developed for various computer systems (personal computers and workstations).
The idea of IBIS was conceived in 1968. It has served as a regular teaching tool, in order to demonstrate the typical difficulties of design and the different ways of dealing with them. IBIS was an idea "waiting for an appropriate technology" in order to become more effective and attractive. The various previous applications have been more or less successful, but have suffered from bureaucratic clumsiness. The recent availability of "hypertext" data-structures and user interfaces - even on small microcomputers and moderately priced workstations - has allowed the design of IBISes which are much more "user-friendly" than their predecessors. Today, we have a number of IBIS-programs, developed and implemented on a variety of machines by PhD-students, most recently by Ph.D. candidate Douglas Noble. In addition, there is an implementation ('gIbis'), developed by MCC (an R&D - corporation in Austin TX, run by a consortium of 25 leading US-computer companies).
There are considerations to make the concept of IBIS the basis of operating systems for future generations of computers. At present, large scale tests of gIBIS as a tool for supporting hard- and software development are under way in several corporations. The use of IBIS as a management tool and as a means for argumentative treatment of technology assessment is also being considered by several companies in Europe and elsewhere.
Some crucial old weaknesses of IBIS remain the same: the danger of getting lost in the web of cross-references, the lack of a 'synoptic' overview of the state of resolution, and the 'logic of the next question", i.e. the problem of prestructuring the possibilities for guiding the designers' deliberations into plausible directions.
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, † 9 July 1990 in Heidelberg
Heidelberg
-Early history:Between 600,000 and 200,000 years ago, "Heidelberg Man" died at nearby Mauer. His jaw bone was discovered in 1907; with scientific dating, his remains were determined to be the earliest evidence of human life in Europe. In the 5th century BC, a Celtic fortress of refuge and place of...
) was a German-born design theorist and university professor. He is best-known (along with M. Webber) for coining the term wicked problem
Wicked problem
"Wicked problem" is a phrase originally used in social planning to describe a problem that is difficult or impossible to solve because of incomplete, contradictory, and changing requirements that are often difficult to recognize. Moreover, because of complex interdependencies, the effort to solve...
, but his influence on design theory and practice was also much wider.
His field of work is the Science of Design, or, as it also known, the area of Design Theories and Methods (DTM), with the understanding that activities like planning, engineering, policy making are included as
particular forms of design.
In response to the perceived failures of early attempts at systematic design, he introduced the concept of 'second generation design methods
Design methods
Design Methods is a broad area that focuses on:* Divergence – Exploring possibilities and constraints of inherited situations by applying critical thinking through qualitative and quantitative research methods to create new understanding toward better design solutions* Transformation – Redefining...
' and a planning/design method known as Issue-Based Information System
Issue-Based Information System
Issue-Based Information System was invented by Werner Kunz and Horst Rittel as an argumentation-based approach to tackling wicked problems - complex, ill-defined problems that involve multiple stakeholders....
(IBIS) for handling wicked problems.
IBIS
IBIS(for 'Issue-Based Information System') is the instrumental version of the understanding of design as argumentation. It is a method to guide the design process and to reinforce deliberation and argumentation. A number of computer-based versions of IBIS have been and are being developed for various computer systems (personal computers and workstations).
The idea of IBIS was conceived in 1968. It has served as a regular teaching tool, in order to demonstrate the typical difficulties of design and the different ways of dealing with them. IBIS was an idea "waiting for an appropriate technology" in order to become more effective and attractive. The various previous applications have been more or less successful, but have suffered from bureaucratic clumsiness. The recent availability of "hypertext" data-structures and user interfaces - even on small microcomputers and moderately priced workstations - has allowed the design of IBISes which are much more "user-friendly" than their predecessors. Today, we have a number of IBIS-programs, developed and implemented on a variety of machines by PhD-students, most recently by Ph.D. candidate Douglas Noble. In addition, there is an implementation ('gIbis'), developed by MCC (an R&D - corporation in Austin TX, run by a consortium of 25 leading US-computer companies).
There are considerations to make the concept of IBIS the basis of operating systems for future generations of computers. At present, large scale tests of gIBIS as a tool for supporting hard- and software development are under way in several corporations. The use of IBIS as a management tool and as a means for argumentative treatment of technology assessment is also being considered by several companies in Europe and elsewhere.
Some crucial old weaknesses of IBIS remain the same: the danger of getting lost in the web of cross-references, the lack of a 'synoptic' overview of the state of resolution, and the 'logic of the next question", i.e. the problem of prestructuring the possibilities for guiding the designers' deliberations into plausible directions.
Biography
- 1963 — 1990 Professor of the Science of Design at the University of California, BerkeleyUniversity of California, BerkeleyThe University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
, College for Environmental Design, Department of Architecture and Department of City and Regional Planning - 1967 Visiting Associate Professor for Architecture and Operations Research at Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri
- 1973 — 1990 Director and Professor at the University of StuttgartUniversity of StuttgartThe University of Stuttgart is a university located in Stuttgart, Germany. It was founded in 1829 and is organized in 10 faculties....
, Faculty for Architecture and Town Planning.