Effective engineering design requires engagement with diverse and broad groups of stakeholders (e.g., end-users, communities, policy-makers, manufacturers). In an effort to advance community-centered engineering design, this research area aims to develop approaches and methods for engaging various stakeholders throughout a design process. This research area also investigates the process of stakeholder perspective-taking (a practice where designers bring stakeholder perspectives to team deliberations when stakeholders cannot be present), and studies ways to encourage this practice in engineering settings.

Recent publications:

1. Stancliff, M., Balevic, E., Brubaker, E.R., Burleson, G., From Dismissal to Adoption: Examining and Visualizing Stakeholder Perspective-Taking in Design, ASME IDETC 2025.

2. Masood, A. & Burleson, G. Investigating Community Engagement Practices in Short-Term Humanitarian Engineering Projects, IEEE GHTC 2024.

All successful products must function in particular cultural, political, economic, and industrial settings. This work contributes to the advancement of design theory and methodology by expanding the definition for “context” in engineering design, further defining classifications of contextual factors, and developing specific strategies and methods for incorporating contextual factors into various design stages.

Recent publications:

1. Serrano, C., Burleson, G., Incorporating Contextual Factors in Back-End Design Stages: Development and Pilot Testing of the Contextual Product Testing Protocol (link to pre-print), Design Society’s ICED 2025.

2. Burleson, G., Wojciechowski, L., Toyama, K., & Sienko, K. H. (2024). Characterizing the use of contextual factors in engineering design: an exploration of global health designer practice. Design Science, 10(36).

While most engineering design processes focus on ensuring user safety, they insufficiently consider broader social impacts and well-being outcomes. Methods for evaluating potential social impacts during engineering validation and subsequently improving product design to improve these impacts are lacking. This research area aims to investigate which social impacts are most relevant and under what conditions, develop metrics and methods for evaluating potential impacts, and integrate these considerations into engineering design decisions.

Recent publications:

1. Wilburn, O., Oswald, M., Rucker II, R., Mabey, C.S., Burleson, G., Integrating Affordance Mechanisms to Support Design for Well-Being: A Case Study of University Transportation (link to pre-print), Design Society’s ICED 2025.

2. Burleson, G. Beyond an Applied Natural Science: Leveraging Social Science and Design Science to Improve Engineering for Humanity. IEEE IHTC 2024.

How do engineers use prior art in their design processes? How can patents be used to study design evolution over time? This research area investigates how intellectual property can support improved design practice and engineering education.

Designing for complex, real-world challenges requires engineers to develop not only technical skills, but also professional and social competencies. This research area explores how design education can better prepare students for collaborative design work.

Recent publications:

1. Burleson, G., Harper, J., Connecting Academia and Industry: Piloting an Industry Mentor Program in a First-Year Engineering Design Course, ASEE 2025.

2. Burleson, G., Tsai, J., Investigating Preliminary Examination Practices in U.S. Mechanical Engineering Doctoral Programs, ASEE 2025.