Why does purpose matter? If you are building a castle, knowing its purpose yields dramatically different features and results. Are you defending? Entertaining? Controlling a harbor? Making an architectural statement? Each version shares iconic similarities but adopts critical elements that amplify its purpose. Knowing who you are serving changes the focus of your work.
We have learned what an airport looks like, even before seeing the airplanes. Some universal characteristics make it identifiable: the presence of parking garages, rental car shuttles, drop-off and pick-up areas, people with luggage, and air traffic control towers. How might we use some of our common attributes to orient those we serve. If we constructed all the aforementioned features but operated as a dentist’s office, we might confuse more people than we delighted.
What-if-concepts 