In an attempt to understand the underlying methods used in the creation of a design,
 a great deal of research has been undertaken into the nature of the 
intellectual process used by designers. What is clear is that there is 
no single method or system used by all designers, nor does any one 
designer appear to use any single method (Lawson, 1994). A designer uses
 many methods simultaneously, directed towards solving the problem and 
arriving at an acceptable solution. 
The creative leap is more a process of building a bridging concept between the problem and its solution (Cross,
 1996). In an observation of the design process, Cross determined that 
there was an ‘apposite proposal’ from one member which grew in 
acceptance by the other 
participants in the group trying to resolve the design problem. Once the
 basic proposal had been accepted the whole group swung behind the idea 
and then put all its efforts into making it work. This is contrary to 
the more conventional view of designers waiting for the blinding flash 
of originality, although the apposite proposal has to be derived from 
somewhere. But even this was the result of an evolutionary process.     
The strategy
 that appears to be used most consistently is one that focuses on 
identifying several possible solutions or hypotheses. These 
‘protomodels’ (March, 1976) are evaluated and each evaluation is used to
 refine the proposed solution until an acceptable answer is reached. For
 this to be effective the problem must be clearly stated.










