While I agree with lots of what's being said in this, the initial analogy really leaves something to be desired. Obviously, the concept for the very first hammer went through a design process as what's been charted out in the blog. Man needs to pound one thing into another to hold it in place. Man tries rock. Man asks around to see what might work better. Etc. The process just didn't linger at the initial steps as long as the final step because the physical application of the tool is such an important thing to demonstrate.

In digital, where much of the initial design surrounds process and more abstract concepts, we can hang out around the early steps longer and to greater effect.