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Despite extensive research on enhancing functional analysis in terms of quantity and quality, the experiential aspect for beginners remains underexplored. This study evaluates the NCFFA (Natural Cognitive Flow Functional Analysis) method, grounded in cognitive science and human-centered design, to enhance beginners' designer experience (DX) in functional decomposition. We conducted a controlled comparison to assess NCFFA's impact on the design process and outcomes against traditional methods. The findings indicate that NCFFA enhances the novice engineers' experience, yielding a better flow state without increasing perceived effort. In addition, it did not significantly affect the number of unique functions generated in functional diagrams. This research underscores the importance of integrating cognitive research and human-centered design principles into functional analysis and suggests new directions for enhancing the DX of the structured design process.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1177\/10920617251371050","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,26]],"date-time":"2026-02-26T05:51:36Z","timestamp":1772085096000},"page":"31-43","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/sage-journals-update-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Enhancing Designer Experience (DX) in Functional Decomposition for Novice Engineers: Assessing the Efficacy of the Natural Cognitive Flow Functional Analysis Method"],"prefix":"10.1177","volume":"29","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0007-2528-263X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Hunter S","family":"Reeling","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Miami University, Oxford, OH, USA"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7288-7825","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jinjuan","family":"She","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Miami University, Oxford, OH, USA"}]}],"member":"179","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,2]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_3_4_2_1","first-page":"421","volume-title":"Towards using functional decomposition and ensembles of surrogate models for technology selection in system level designDS 130: Proceedings of NordDesign 2024","author":"Arjomandi Rad M.","year":"2024","unstructured":"Arjomandi Rad M., Panarotto M., Malmqvist J., Martinsson Bonde J., W\u00e4rmefjord K., Isaksson O. 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