The exploratory nature of design is the reason this book tries to approach questions of design in many different ways - in design, there is not one general answer to anything. There are many possible views of design, and many routes out of a problematic design situation - a designer had better be flexible in using them.
A good exploration ends, of course, when you have found what you were looking for. And if you have been conscious of your decisions and their repercussions, you will have learned a lot from the exploration itself. Next time it will be easier to arrive at a solution. Having come to the result, you will probably also get a serious bout of post-project depression, because finding the route towards the solution is always the best part. You'll want to set out again.
Each design project is a new world to explore. And although each design project is unique, there are patterns to the design landscape, which you begin to be aware of as you explore further. Experience will deepen your understanding of your work, and help to find ever more clever approaches.
The pieces in this book are based on design research, my personal experience, and those of the designers I know. I hope they help designers to reflect upon their practice. But there are limits to what a book can do: you really only learn and master things that you can relate to your own experience - the core design experiences that you feel and live through cannot be borrowed from others.