Digital design tools are omnipresent today, but which is right for the job? This study reviews previous approaches to categorise design tools revealing a lack of comprehensive catalogues. Given this gap, a set of requirements, classification schema and prototype catalogue (IDEATE) were developed. A survey explored selection factors, format preferences and evaluated the prototype with IDEATE scoring 6.44/10 compared to 5.28/10 for a table format. This evidenced interest in mapping the ecosystem though future iterations should prioritise refined navigation and enhanced searchability of tools.

Part separation and subsequent adhesive bonding of additively manufactured (AM) subcomponents is a promising strategy to overcome manufacturing constraints and improve cost efficiency of AM processes. This study presents a three-dimensional scarf joint geometry, designed to maximize bond strength at a minimum use of substrate volume. Based on geometrical measurements, measures for improved accuracy of fit between PBF-LB/M substrates made of AlSi10Mg and Ti6Al4V were derived. Static tensile tests confirmed an almost twofold increase in bonding performance compared to conventional scarf joints.

This paper presents the Systems Engineering Method Matrix (SEMM), a tool that links activities, methods, and artefacts to address gaps in existing method repositories. SEMM enables artefact-consistent process modelling and supports method selection, planning, and documentation in engineering projects. A case study in a project-based engineering design course demonstrates that SEMM enhances students’ conceptual understanding, broadens the range of methods, and provides instructors with a coherent framework for project planning.

Design research lacks a unified methodological framework, leaving researchers underexposed to diverse approaches and limiting informed method selection. This paper proposes a multidisciplinary cartography of design research methods, mapping research designs, data collection techniques, associated risks, and required resources. It provides a structured overview to support method selection and planning. This non-exhaustive, high-level cartography serves as a proof of concept to demonstrate feasibility and lay the foundation for a future community-driven Design Research Quality ecosystem.

This study evaluates two approaches for sustainable product development and their complementarity through workshops and surveys in four companies. Findings show high perceived usefulness but lower usability, with applicability dependent on integration into existing processes. The study identifies value-carrying characteristics – clarity, adaptability, and process linkage – and highlights improvement needs. Results offer guidance for developing coherent methodological support to enable systemic, systematic, and strategic sustainability decisions in early design phases.

This study evaluates the repeatability of print results in FDM through tests made with a generatively designed robotic limb. Five specimen were printed in two build orientations each with the same other process parameters. Deviations were measured via 3D scanning and CMM on both outer surfaces and functional features. Measured deviations exhibit small mean values and a clear orientation-dependent variability. As findings highlight deterministic effects in the propagation of deviations, design guidelines to improve repeatability of 3D prints are formulated as a result.

Digital twin implementation in space systems lags behind product development maturity. This study evaluates transfer potential of digital twin approaches to space systems. Expert interviews (n=12) with product development and space specialists validated literature-based solution-challenge mappings. Abstraction level moderates transferability: organizational solutions transfer readily while technical solutions require space-specific adaptations. New Space contexts show higher transfer potential. The framework enables systematic digital twin implementation prioritization for space applications.

This paper presents a novel research and development framework for “Design for R” (DfR), which aims to systematically translate R strategies into actionable targets in engineering design. Building on the principles of Design for X and guided by the Design Research Methodology, it outlines a comprehensive research structure for developing, testing, and iteratively refining the DfR approach. The goal is to facilitate specific and robust technical solutions as well as practically applicable sustainability integration at the product level through structured methods, tools, and design principles.

Development of complex interdisciplinary products increases engineering challenges, that AI supported engineering approaches attempt to reduce by increasing automation. The resulting AI generated engineering artifacts, however, need to be classified, verified and managed to enable traceability and auditability of engineering decisions. This paper presents a classification and management approach for these artifacts, allowing verification of AI generated engineering artifacts. A use case on the iterative development of an e-bike demonstrates the approach.

Visual communication plays a vital role in conveying public health messages, yet design quality and effectiveness vary. This online study with 16 designers examined whether applying evolutionary psychology theory enhances designers’ understanding, acceptance, visual cohesion of materials, and the effect of embedding biomimetic patterns. COVID-19 posters were used as context. Theory informed posters showed greater cohesion and were rated as more attention-grabbing. Results raise questions over tensions between theory- and creative demands and highlight designers’ impact on health communication.

This paper examines integrating Large Language Models (LLMs) into the TRIZ contradiction matrix (TRIZ-C+LLM) to support engineering students in creative problem-solving. Experiments with three problems show that LLMs did not always improve design quality for complex tasks but reduced cognitive workload, improved understanding of contradictions, and increased perceived usefulness. Prompting experience strongly influenced outcomes, highlighting both the promise and limits of combining TRIZ with generative AI.

This study synthesises interdisciplinary research on design strategies and attributes for extended product life of furniture. Through an integrative literature review, it develops the heuristic Longevity Trinity framework, comprising technical, functional, and emotional orientations. The framework consolidates dispersed design principles and highlight how the physical and psychological properties of furniture interact with the component of time, positioning product longevity as a design problem of continuity; continuity of materials, usefulness, and meaning across multiple lifecycles.

As the field of biodesign has grown, so has the number of spaces dedicated to biodesign practice. However, little attention has been paid to the ongoing efforts of those who keep these spaces functioning on a day-to-day basis. Based on tour-and-interviews with 19 biodesign lab managers (LMs) across European biodesign laboratories (BioLabs), this paper aims to develop an initial understanding of what biodesign LMs’ everyday work entails. The findings highlight three key dimensions of biodesign LMs’ work and surface how they hold together the interdisciplinary and emergent nature of the biodesign field. In this respect, keeping BioLabs ‘alive’ also entails maintaining conditions under which biodesign LMs themselves can effectively perform their roles. This study contributes to better supporting, communicating, acknowledging, and making resilient the current, emerging and future BioLabs and professionals in similar roles, as well as to open up new opportunities for biodesign research.

We reviewed 36 web-based toolkits supporting health and care design and improvement and identified five classification dimensions: novelty (novel or established tools), scope (specialised or generic), origin (research- or practice-based), motivation for use (risk reduction or benefit enhancement), and application level (individual or group use). We also identified five types of toolkit developers and seven end-user roles. Most toolkits were generic and practice-based, developed by commercial or academic actors, targeted at practitioners and leaders, and supported both individual and group use.

This study examines how product development activities influence the environmental sustainability of complex mechatronic systems using a 2D-flatbed laser cutting system as a case study. Three levels are identified, the machine, operation and part level, at which design changes can affect environmental sustainability during machine operation. Utilizing operational machine data, nine design changes are derived indicating that ∼36% of the environmental impact in the use phase can be reduced through technical design solutions, enabling EcoDesign principles supported by data-driven approaches.

Functional decomposition shapes early design decisions but is largely qualitative, leaving units and measures implicit. This work introduces the Quantitative Functional Decomposition Problem, which formalizes functions and interfaces with measurable quantities, making decomposition solvable as a quantified planning problem. Two case studies show that the approach gives immediate feedback on the admissibility of functions and their connections. Design engineers get consistent quantified structures, which speed up iteration, reduce work and set targets for subsequent steps in the design process.

The pilot project initiatives using Knowledge-Based Engineering (KBE), Design Automation (DA), and visual modelling techniques, at Saab Aeronautics, are presented in this work. The aim is to evaluate their practical applicability and outline how organisations can implement accelerated product development methodologies. By integrating organisational knowledge, parametric models, standardized workflows and automation tools, design lead times are significantly reduced, allowing design expertise to focus on innovation, quality, and strategic problem-solving.