Written by Yuri Mejia, University of Sheffield
As an engineer and researcher at the University of Sheffield, I am deeply engaged in bridging academic and industrial perspectives on design. For this discussion, I had the pleasure to sit down with Craig Roberts Head of AMRC Design and Prototyping Group —whose experience spans engineering, product design, and advanced manufacturing—to explore his definitions and philosophies of design. In this first segment, our conversation focuses on understanding the essence of design, the differences and interplay between engineering and design, and why collaboration across these fields is so challenging yet so vital.
Yuri Mejia: From an engineering standpoint, design often appears as a static layer atop a functional solution. Craig, how would you personally define the core of design?
Craig Roberts:
“I’ve worked on both sides of design and engineering. For me, the heart of design is its emphasis on defining the right problem to solve, human-centred problem-solving, value creation and risk mitigation. Designers consider not only whether a product works, but also how people interact with it—by gathering feedback from end users, conducting focus groups, and creating prototypes. This is problem-solving with a human-centred emphasis. Design is the foundation that ensures the formidable technical efforts of engineering are directed toward a meaningful and valuable outcome.”
Yuri Mejia: What distinguishes engineers from designers in your experience?
Craig Roberts:
“In my experience, the primary distinction between engineers and designers lies in their driving questions and focus during the design process. Engineers typically ask, ‘How do we build this?’ They concentrate on technical feasibility and implementation. In contrast, designers—especially industrial and product designers—ask, ‘What should it do, and how will it be experienced?’ Their focus is on user desirability, aesthetics, and ergonomics. While there is significant overlap —designers often use engineering tools like Finite Element Analysis (FEA) and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) to validate the structural and thermal performance of their concepts—the core emphasis of engineering is on physics and mathematics for ensuring technical feasibility.
The distinction lies in their fundamental roles: the designer defines the ideal solution based on user needs, while the engineer refines it to ensure practical implementation.”
Yuri Mejia: Do you see collaboration between designers and engineers improving in the industry?
Craig Roberts:
“I see collaboration improving, but evidence indicates that industry still faces challenges in this area. Many product development cycles continue to suffer from silos, where product designers, mechanical engineers, and manufacturing specialists work separately. This separation leads to inefficient practices. Despite these challenges, collaboration is improving due to significant technological and procedural advancements. Ultimately, the competitive pressure to reduce costs and accelerate time-to-market remains the strongest driver, ensuring that the long-term trend toward better integration between design and engineering will continue.”
As we conclude this first part of my conversation with Craig Roberts, we have laid the foundation by examining the core of design and the essential, yet often challenging, collaboration between design and engineering. In the next segment, we will delve deeper into how digital design ecosystems are reshaping industry workflows, enabling agile feedback loops, and integrating powerful new technologies, such as AI. We’ll also explore the pressing roles of sustainability and regulatory change in design, and how Craig sees the future of this evolving discipline.