Repertoire of Precedents: Designers Kindling Fatwood During Reflection-in-Action

Fatwood is old pine tree roots that are split into kindling and used as a fire starter. As a metaphor in design thinking, designers call their fatwood a repertoire of precedents. Designers kindle their fatwood when reflecting-in-action. What impact does a designer drawing from a repertoire of precedents inside and outside the project have on the reflection-in-action process? This chapter explores the give and take relationships that eight designers designing projects had with their personal repertoire of precedents and frame experiments. From the exploration of the give and take relationships, we discuss how we can design fatwood learning experiences.