Design is really a special case of problem solving. One wants to bring about a desired state of affairs. Occasionally one wants to remedy some fault but more usually one wants to bring about something new. For that reason design is more open ended than problem solving. It requires more creativity. It is not so much a matter of linking up a clearly defined objective with a clearly defined starting position (as in problem solving) but more a matter of starting out from a general position in the direction of a general objective" - Meaning and context.">
p. 198; Cited in: Eddie Norman, Urry (1995) Advanced design and technology. p. 65-66
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Design is really a special case of problem solving. One wants to bring about a desired state of affairs. Occasionally one wants to remedy some fault but more usually one wants to bring about something new. For that reason design is more open ended than problem solving. It requires more creativity. It is not so much a matter of linking up a clearly defined objective with a clearly defined starting position (as in problem solving) but more a matter of starting out from a general position in the direction of a general objective

— Edward de Bono

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "Design is really a special case of problem solving. One wants to bring about a desired state of affairs. Occasionally one wants to remedy some fault but more usually one wants to bring about something new. For that reason design is more open ended than problem solving. It requires more creativity. It is not so much a matter of linking up a clearly defined objective with a clearly defined starting position (as in problem solving) but more a matter of starting out from a general position in the direction of a general objective" in the context of "p. 198; Cited in: Eddie Norman, Urry (1995) Advanced design and technology. p. 65-66" to mean that wisdom is timeless.

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Source: Wikiquote: "Edward de Bono" (Quotes, Lateral Thinking : Creativity Step by Step (1970): Lateral Thinking : Creativity Step by Step, partly online) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
Edward de Bono

About Edward de Bono

Edward Charles Francis Publius de Bono (19 May 1933, in Malta – 9 June 2021) was a British physician, author, inventor, and consultant. He was most famous as the originator of the term lateral thinking (structured creativity) and a leading proponent of the deliberate teaching of thinking in schools.