Learning from the positive: A structured approach to possibility-driven design

This paper discusses an approach to possibility-driven design as an alternative to traditional problem-driven design approaches. the first parts discuss merits and challenges when design- ing for possibilities, and present some examples of existing design theories that exemplify the potential contribution of this view on design. Next, a five-staged possibility-driven design pro- cess is introduced, in which personal anecdotes are collected, selected, and analysed as a main fuel for the design process. a design case is reported that applied this process to the design of office furniture. a positive, personal anecdote of an office worker about ‘dissolving in the mo- ment’ was selected as the main design theme for designing a novel experience in the office mediated by a chair. the design case is used to discuss details of a possibility-driven design approach. finally, we reflect on the suitability of the approach for different design scenarios, its limitations, and possible (future) applications.