Co-Evolution of Design Research and Design Practice

This edited volume presents perspectives on how engineering design practice is transforming in response to rapid technological, societal and industrial change. It brings together selected contributions from two complementary workshops of the Design Process Special Interest Group of The Design Society, held in Munich and Bengaluru, which gathered leading researchers and industry experts to discuss the co-evolution of design research and practice.

The chapters explore how digitalization, globalization, sustainability pressures and emerging technologies such as AI are reshaping design processes, tools, organizational structures and competencies. The volume includes empirical studies and industry cases as well as theoretical and methodological contributions that illuminate evolving process paradigms, agile and hybrid approaches, model-based systems engineering, product–service system design, and new modes of coordinating distributed and interdisciplinary teams.

Addressing themes such as process modelling, new methods for emerging technologies, integration across complex supply chains, and the co-evolution of problem–solution spaces, the book offers a rich overview of current challenges and future directions in engineering design. It also examines implications for engineering design education, including cross-disciplinary learning and sustainability-oriented curricula.

Co-Evolution of Design Research and Design Practice provides an essential reference for researchers, professionals, and graduate students in engineering design and product development, and offers valuable insights for practitioners navigating the shifting landscape of contemporary design practice.