Merging Knowledge from Different Disciplines in Search of Potential Design Axioms

This paper presents the idea of merging different schools of thinking which have been separated for centuries. Design as a process of creating artifacts and systems varies substantially among individual disciplines. There exists no universally valid and concise definition of the concept design. We first describe different understandings and uses of design with a focus on architecture, engineering, management, and nature. We then show that there is a profound need for merging these different schools of thinking and forming the discipline of design science. The term ´design science´ got its first recognition in the 1960s but without attaining a remarkable impact on affected disciplines. Progress in design research and multidisciplinary work arose in the last decades. Research in knowledge transfer and knowledge visualization supports the design science´s ability to bridge the remaining gap between disciplines