All the research in the design lab aims to improve the quality, to increase the efficiency, and to reduce the cost of innovative product development. These objectives are achieved by our research at the following three levels:

1. Basic research in understanding design activities – Science of Design

The purpose of the science of design is to model design activities through systematic scientific approaches. A science of design consists of two different but strongly interconnected realms: a system of logically related knowledge about design activities as well as the scientific processes leading to the knowledge. The scientific processes encompass observation, experimentation, and reasoning.

In the design lab, we have developed a mathematical foundation for reason about design activities – axiomatic theory of design modeling. Recently, the lab has developed a new experimental approach to studying designer’s cognitive activities by integrating engineering, psychological, and physiological parameters.

2. Applied research in developing a new design methodology – Environment Based Design

Environment-based Design (EBD) is a generic design methodology supporting innovative product design. The EBD methodology consists of three main steps: environment analysis, conflict identification, and concept generation. These steps generate and refine iteratively the design problem and design solutions. A few technologies have been generated for the EBD methodology: 1) roadmap to design requirements based on the environment in which the product is to work; 2) the Recursive Object Model (ROM) for capturing semantic meaning of design text; and 3) effective questioning strategy based on ROM diagrams for eliciting design requirements.