It has been often claimed that the scientific process is quite opposite to the design process, mainly based on the former’s analysis of existing phenomena in order to develop a theory, while the design process is an act of synthesis that creates something new in the world. In the light of the developments that led to this conception, and with reference to the current views of the scientific process, we maintain that the scientific process has more similarities with the design (...) process than differences from it. As parallels can be drawn between the two processes, some implications for further research into the fundamentals of the design activity are discussed. (shrink)