Design as goal reaching not problem solving

In previous stages of my career I framed design as a problem solving activity. This was, at first, a reaction against the idea that design was styling, a thin veneer or a gloss on the surface of the real work. Here, problem solving was a useful way of explaining that good design goes deeper than that surface.

It might be a mark of where I am in my career right now, but I find myself re-framing design again. Instead of problem solving, I now view design as an ongoing goal-reaching activity. The difference for me is that the context is bigger, the constraints require more thought, but the results are much greater — and more meaningful — in their impact.

The problem I have with problem solving is that it can all too easily lose sight of the 'why'. 'Why' is a question I've asked throughout my career (if you've worked with me you've no doubt heard it!). 'Why' is a sense-check, a way of making sure that the thing you are doing has purpose, and that that purpose is what everyone involved thinks it is. It's easy to get stuck in to a problem and later (or perhaps never) discover that when you solve it it doesn't do or amount to anything. I think design can, and should be better than that.

Here's my in-progress re-definition:
Design is the mindset, tools and approach I use to help reach towards goals.