Problem Solving in Design & Music

Comparisons are most interesting when the entities have partial correspondence. In this essay, product design and music are examined regarding creativity, improvisation and problem solving approaches.
Creativity is fundamental to both product design and music and Improvisation plays a role in both design and music via its role in creativity. Both rely on aesthetic means to produce desired effects in others. The fact design and music both depend on aesthetics and both use creativity suggests they might be usefully compared. The fact that product design is an applied art and that music is a performing art provides points of contrast.
Much has been written on how to organise product design with a view to rendering the process a rational one. Often the intuitive aspect of design is downplayed if not omitted. One can view the evolution of design as the taming of intuition. Yet product design is dependent on original solutions which do not emerge from successfully repeated routines. Design is a blend of natural science, social science, humanities and art. Other arts such as music, as a matter of course, use improvisation to explore creative space but also depend on just enough structure to give meaning. On that side, rational methodologies are underplayed and creativity emphasized. Problem-solving is only a part of design, and it can be viewed as a part of music to differing degrees and a comparison reveals something of the nature of product design and music.