Knowledge, as applied here, refers to the definition of knowledge the in axiomatic complexity theory [3, 4]. Complexity, which is a measure of uncertainty in achieving
the FRs, can be reduced by the application of knowledge of the designer. Therefore, knowledge may be considered as:‘the general erudition of the designer that is applied to
formulate DPs that satisfy the FRs of a product design’. This paper is organised as follows: Section 2 clarifies the axiomatic concept of ‘Information’ or ‘Entropy’. Secondly it explains the Cynefin framework. Section 3 applies the two methods to investigate the essence of knowledge to the designer and what may happen if knowledge is lacking. Section 4 discusses the findings and summarises conclusions.