From Edge Case to Strategy Case in UX Design

Young Arabic/Iranian woman in her twenties sits at a desk, staring intently at a worn gold iPhone XS. Papers, a closed laptop, and a coffee mug surround her, as daylight filters through a London flat window.

When rules are treated as absolutes, edge cases become exclusion points. This essay shows why UX strategy must reframe them as strategic signals — the places where legitimacy is won or lost.

Ashby’s Law of Requisite Variety

Ashby’s Law of Requisite Variety states that a system must match the complexity of its environment in order to remain stable and effective. When rules or controls fail to keep pace with external variety, systems become brittle and collapse.

Cynefin Framework: Navigating Complexity and Sensemaking

The Cynefin Framework, developed by Dave Snowden, is a strategic sensemaking tool that distinguishes between ordered, complex, and chaotic contexts. It guides leaders in choosing responses that match the nature of their environment, helping organisations adapt, build resilience, and frame meaning in uncertainty.