The Recursive Design Framework is a 1-page PDF resource designed by Adam Fromme to help guide people through the design process.
Two well-known and commonly used design frameworks are IDEO’s Design Thinking Process and the Design Council’s Double Diamond. However, both of these frameworks are oriented towards the client side of a design project (“explaining the design process”) instead of the designer side of the project (“guiding the design process”).
In the classroom, Adam used both of these frameworks. At the same time, the study guides for his introductory design course began to take on their own form. His intent was to help students acknowledge the messy—and more realistic—experience a designer faces as they guide the work. The design process is dynamic, and he began visualizing that normative experience, showing how the work “folds-in” on itself. That quick-study reference aid fully bloomed into the Recursive Design Framework in January of 2025.
Now the RDF has become a helpful design tool for students and work teams alike that need to direct their own work. With that in mind, it addresses several fundamental “guiding” issues:
One problem, three parts. Instead of a timeline-based organization, the RDF identifies three key points of focus. Situations focus on understanding their starting points. Goals focus on defining what needs to happen. And Solutions realize all possible ways to satisfy their goals. Returning to each area allows ideas to co-evolve, rather than following linear checkpoints.
Learning is continuous. Projects create urgency, but insight takes time. Adopting a learner’s mindset ensures growth throughout the process, not just during initial research. The RDF sets purpose to wide-attention tasks that correspond to each part of the problem. Every time a learning activity is revisited provides an opportunity to become add specificity in your work.
Slow down the decision making. Exciting discoveries can drive us to rush, yet waiting until the deadline can lead to impulsive decisions. Project-level decisions require thoughtful pauses throughout projects to assess and rank priorities. These narrow attention tasks focus our work by continually refining the project’s aim.
The goal is the goal. The solution is not the goal; the goal is the goal. Designers use the current Situation to imagine a different future. Solutions seek to realize that same future. Both are aimed at the future, therefore Solutions should not be pointed at the Situation. That is not future-facing! Instead, satisfying the goal is our measure of success.
There is more than one starting point. You can begin anywhere. Projects often begin in one of three ways: they start with what you
know in your head, (e.g., an existing condition, a need); they start with what you believe in your heart (e.g., a conviction or commitment); or they start with a feeling in your gut (e.g., a prompt, a instinct). For instance, diving straight into speculative prototyping may identify unrealized areas for exploration.
The main difference between the RDF and other frameworks is that side-to-side movement between parts allows the Situation, the Goal and the Solution develop together. Then as they come into alignment, the answer emerges and the project can seek Resolution.
Download the PDF here.
Note 1: This PDF is not intended as a stand-alone document—that is in the works. As it stands, this is offered as a reference guide to courses and conferences where Adam has presented a more complete explanation of the framework.
Note 2: Citations are needed. For a full list of referenced work, please request by email.