Frayling:

1. If a painting, as described by Picasso is a product and not a process of searching, then what can we call the process of painting itself? What do we call the process of finding inspiration for a painting?
2. Art, like design and many other forms of expression, is an iterative process. The arts do not repeat individual paintings or styles, much like architecture does not repeat construction of particular buildings or design movements.  History is implicit in the nature of how our minds work.  Is the process of deciphering history research if the product of the research is finite?
3. On the surface the scientific process is much different than what would be considered a design process. This is mainly because the scientific method is known, whereas there are many valid design processes.  Are there certain distinctions between what we can consider to be the “scientific process” and the design or creative process that should remain distinct?  Are there some make sense to homogenize?

Solomon:

1. Solomon talks briefly about opinions expressed by Sylvia Lavin, Mark Wigley, and Brett Steele that architectural theses are “too often non-rigorous, hyper-personal, and quasi-architectural in nature”.  What about being hyper-personal can make them quasi-architectural?
2. Herbert Simon is quoted in the text as saying “design is a method for solving problems that have more than one right answer”. What kinds of problems have more than one answer?  What kinds have only 1?
3. Solomon concludes that “the move away from individual theses toward teacher-led, group research projects found in many research studios represents a diminished role for intuition in the design process. However, this analysis depends on the cliché that design is subjective and wild, while research is objective and predictable”. Is the way that we decide what to research and what not to research subjective?
4. Solomon writes “In every case, both design and research are understood as personal, creative acts that simultaneously produce aesthetic artifacts, directly engage extra-disciplinary issues, and are guided by personal and political considerations”. How do we assess the value or effectiveness of work that has been done?