Emergent Design
Noun · Hacker Culture
Definitions
A style of design in which structure and solutions evolve through iterative work and learning rather than being fully specified upfront. In software culture emergent design is often associated with agile practice and frequent feedback.
In plain English: A design approach where structure emerges gradually through iteration and learning.
Example: "The architecture was not fully known on day one; emergent design let the team shape it as real constraints appeared in production."