Building a Better Whatsit so there is great value in an adaptive design strategy, because adaptiveness is a hallmark of human behavior. A Pattern Language is the very profound and tremendously influential book which introduced the notion of an abstract pattern language. Learning From the Oregon Experiment I am appalled - at the lack of historical interior design software perspective in this thread. Big Design Up Front is the norm in large construction projects and most large software projects as well. Learning From Tinkers and Tailors as you say, construction commonly uses “hard” resources in a way which requires up-front logistical analysis and economic investment.