In which process should improvements be made throughout rather than just at the beginning?

The iterative design process is characterized by repeated cycles of design, testing, and refinement. In this approach, designers continuously seek to enhance the product based on user feedback and performance evaluations throughout the development cycle. This is in contrast to methods that emphasize making improvements only at the beginning, where a final design is pursued before reaching the production stage.

The iterative nature allows for flexibility and the opportunity to address flaws or enhance features at multiple stages, making it particularly effective in fields where user needs and technologies evolve rapidly. As designers move through each iteration, they gather insights that can lead to better outcomes, ensuring that the final product is as effective and user-friendly as possible.

The other processes mentioned typically focus on specific phases without the same emphasis on ongoing refinement. For example, the linear design process progresses through a series of distinct, non-overlapping stages, making it less adaptable to changes that may arise during the course of the project. The reverse engineering process primarily focuses on understanding existing products rather than developing new solutions iteratively, and the cyclic design process, while it may involve some repetition, does not necessarily emphasize continual improvement throughout each cycle as strongly as the iterative process does.