This document discusses the importance of exploring requirements and addressing ambiguity before beginning the design process. It notes that without understanding what is being discussed, there is no point in being exact in the design. The document then provides examples of how the same short statement "Mary had a little lamb" can take on many different meanings depending on what requirements and assumptions are made. It advocates addressing questions around the client, goals, users, resources and timeframes to properly define requirements before choosing tools or coming up with design ideas.

1. Quality before Design
Exploring Requirements: Quality Before Design by Donald C. Gause and Gerald M. Weinberg

2. Quality before Design
Do all Design projects start with ambiguity?
“There is no point in being exact about something if you
don’t even know what you are talking about”
John Van Neumann

3. Quality before Design
Do all Design projects start with ambiguity?
Mary had a little lamb.
(It was Mary’s lamb, not Tom’s, Dick’s or Harry’s.)
Mary had a little lamb.
(She no longer has the lamb)
Mary had a little lamb.
(She had only one lamb, not several.)
Mary had a little lamb.
(It really was surprisingly small.)
Mary had a little lamb.
(She didn’t have a dog, cat, cow, goat, or parakeet.)
Mary had a little lamb.
(John still has his little lamb.)
Mary had a little lamb.
(As contrastred with Pallas, who still has four large turtles.)
Mary had a little lamb. So what did she have for desert?

9. Quality before Design
Ambiguity
Requirements

10. Quality before Design
Choices
Assumptions
Impositions
Ambiguity
Requirements

11. Quality before Design
Choice of tools?
A set square is not a guide!

12. Quality before Design
Imagine all the ideas in the world. Call all the ideas in the world
“the Universal set of Ideas”. If there is a solution to any
particular design problem it can be found within the Universal
set of Ideas. The constraints of a particular problem form a
boundary reducing and characterising the problem within the
Universal Set of Ideas. The Constraint Boundary is further
reduced and personalised by the abilities and knowledge of the
individual designer. As the design process takes place research,
experiment and accident alter the Designers Personal Ideas
Boundary

13. Quality before Design
Context free questions
Who is the client for this project?
What is a highly successful solution worth to this
client?
What is the real reason for wanting to solve this
problem?
Who are the end users/audience for this project?
Who should be on the Design team?
How much time do we have for this project?
If there was more time would we get greater value?
Where else can a solution to this problem be found?

14. Quality before Design
Context free questions
Meta questions
Who is the client for this project?
Am I asking too many questions?
What is a highly successful solution worth to this
Do the questions seem relevant?
client?
Are you the right person to
What is the real reason for wanting to solve this
answer?
problem?
Are your answers official?
Who are the end users/audience for this project?
Is there somewhere I can go to
Who should be on the Design team?
see this problem?
How much time do we have for this project?
Is there anything else I should
If there was more time would we get greater value?
ask?
Where else can a solution to this problem be found?
Is there something you want to
ask me?