The Image Trap

Israel’s Failure Leading up to the 1973 Yom Kippur War

By: Ryan Webb

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

In "How Designers Think," Bryan Lawson described several traps in the design process. One of these, the image trap, is when a designer visualizes a design but fails to realize it does not match reality. Lack of experience, bias, or assumptions can mislead a designer. As a result, they do not examine their ideas with a critical eye. Over time, however, as the design process proceeds, the designer often realizes that what they envisioned is not possible under the current conditions or available resources. For example, in the years preceding the 1973 Yom Kippur War, Israel’s military and political leadership envisioned a potential war with the Arabs that did not match the future reality. After the war commenced, the Israel Defense Force (IDF) realized its pre-war design was erroneous.