ABSTRACT
The use of terms in design research is not clear. A significant number of papers discuss how to design with reference to “tools for” without making clear what constitutes a tool (or method). This paper reviews work on the concept of tools; it examines the use of terms in selected papers and reviews three possible ways to define and categorise tools. It recommends the term “tool” be used as little as possible and only with reference to tangible objects. This can help distinguish between methods as ways to carry out an action and tools as the physical means to do so.
