My friend Kasey Klimes wrote a fantastic piece called “

When to Design for Emergence

” on the design dynamics of large-scale software after working on Google Maps.

https://newsletter.rhizomerd.com/p/when-to-design-for-emergence

He points out that our current approach is designed to only solve the most common needs of the most number of users.

Anything... See more

If I look at things that have turned out well in my life—my relationship, some of my essays, my current career—the "design process" has followed the same pattern. It has been what Christopher Alexander called an "unfolding."

If I look at things that have not turned out as well—my education, the books I've written and hidden on a hard drive in our... See more