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Form Context and Fit
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Christopher Alexander: good design is when the form fits its context.
The Idea
A design problem has two parts: the thing being designed (form) and the situation it must serve (context). Good design is when the form fits the context with no misfits. Bad design is friction — the form and context clash.
Why It Matters
- Most design failures are context misreads, not form mistakes.
- You can't evaluate a design without knowing what it's for.
- "Good taste" is often pattern-matching on good form-context fits.
How to Apply
- Before designing, describe the context fully: users, environment, constraints, edge cases.
- List the misfits in the current solution. Each is a design problem.
- Iterate by removing misfits, not by adding features.
The Trap
Treating form as primary. A beautiful form in the wrong context is still a bad design.
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