Context matters: reasserting industrial relevance in design research – why design research cannot be self – contained
Abstract
Engineering design research has long been distinguished by its close integration with practice, context, and decision making under real constraints. Yet, an increasing body of research adopts self contained, context free formulations that appear methodologically rigorous but lack practical relevance. This perspective argues that explicit industry relevance and concrete engineering contexts are vital for conducting meaningful and rigorously sound design research. Without such grounding, methodological sophistication risks becoming illusory. It calls for renewed collective commitment to industrial grounding as a foundation for rigorous, relevant, and impactful design research.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Innovative Human-Technology Interaction
Information Systems Theories and Implementation
Design Education and Practice
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Journal of Engineering Design
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Volume
- 37
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 583–589
- Publication date
- 16 February 2026
- Language
- EN