Highlights•Proposes and tests a Theory of Method Content.•Synthesizes fragmented
literature to explain how methods function in context.•Proposes key method content …

Method development is one of the raisons d'etre of engineering design research and
method uptake by industry is perceived as an important success criterion. This paper argues …

In the field of Ecodesign, in which the answers to the questions of “why”,“what”, and “how”
have been largely studied in the past, the lack of implementation in industry remains an …

Supporting designers is one of the main motivations for design research. However, there is
an ongoing debate about the ability of design research to transfer its results, which are often …

Over the last decade, product/service systems (PSSs) have become a research issue in
several disciplines, such as engineering design and marketing. The inherent …

Method development is at the heart of design research as methods are a formalised way to
express knowledge about how aspects of design could or should be done. However …

Using prototypes to engage stakeholders during front-end design activities is crucial for
successful design outcomes. Compared to prototy** that is used for iterative refinement …

Designers address complex and even wicked problems, which requires them to deal with
high levels of uncertainty and ambiguity, requiring high levels of mental effort. The cognitive …

Designers' choices of methods are well known to shape project outcomes. However,
questions remain about why design teams select particular methods and how teams' …

Due to globalization and driven by shorter product lifecycles, increasing competition and
growing customer demands an ever-increasing number of companies are relying on the …