Context of the Design and Development Process

Design and development occurs in many contexts but is also highly varied, with each situation exhibiting different combinations of characteristics and issues that might need to be addressed. This chapter identifies three groups of factors that characterise the design and development context and discusses thirteen individual factors sampled from these groups. Some key concepts and implications for the design and development process are outlined for each factor. The chapter highlights some of the many issues that need to be considered and integrated during design and development and underlines the complexity of the task. It also sets the scene for a discussion of perspectives, approaches and models in the chapters that follow.