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Iterative Design

Three Little Pigs illustration showing the big bad wolf attempting to blow down the houses, to emphasize the importance of strong design in building structures.
The big, bad wolf tries to blow down the three little pigs' houses.

Improving Your Design

In the children's story The Three Little Pigs, the pigs build houses to protect themselves from a wolf. Each pig uses a different material to build their house: straw, sticks, and bricks. The wolf tries to blow down the houses with his powerful breath.

The house made of straw gets blown down immediately. It is not strong enough to withstand the wolf's breath. The house made of sticks is a little stronger, but also falls down. The brick house withstands the wolf's power, and the wolf gives up.

To make sure your building is as strong and sturdy as you want, you should try multiple different designs. Test your first design and see what works and what doesn't. Write down your ideas, then make some changes that you think might improve the design. Test again and see what happens. This process is called iterative design. After several versions (iterations) of your design, you will find out what ideas work better, and what to avoid.