C-K Theory – Foundations and implications of design theory

Contemporary forms of innovation have led to a deep renewal of design theory. Extending both German systematic engineering design and Simonian problem solving, design theory has increased its capacity to take into account a large variety of knowledge (universality) and its capacity to generate new propositions (generativity). C-K theory is one of the most advanced theories both in terms of universality and generativity. This article represents C-K theory as the lineage of traditional design theories: it presents its fundamental principles and describe some of the methods and organisations derived from it.