Towards an anticipatory view of design

Anticipation indicates the capacity to act in preparation for a certain effect or future state of the world. Although the link between anticipation and design has not received particular attention in design research, it is a fundamental one. In the paper we review the concept of anticipation and discuss its meaning for design research. We further argue that in order to develop an anticipatory view of design it is necessary to move beyond long-established paradigms and abstractions such as those of machine, evolution and control. Based on a conceptual and methodological framework proposed by Robert Rosen we elaborate such an anticipatory view that establishes the uniqueness of design compared to these paradigms. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.