Reconciling disciplinary contradiction in interdisciplinary design projects: A case study of developing the BiVACOR total artificial heart controller

Interdisciplinary design's benefits are well documented, yet its challenges are typically framed as communication or knowledge translation issues between experts during a project. In highly regulated contexts such as medical device design, these extend beyond communication to include fundamentally opposing priorities and ways of working. This paper presents a longitudinal case study on the redesign of a Total Artificial Heart Controller. The collaboration was analysed through three broad dialectical oppositions and 22 sub contradictions synthesised from existing literature. It illustrates how mapping specific contradictions (e.g. profit versus novelty) before the design work begins allows them to be operationalised as creative constraints rather than points of conflict. Whereas traditional approaches treat disciplinary difference reactively, this study demonstrates a methodological approach for anticipatory reconciliation. This approach reduces post-hoc negotiation burdens, streamlines interdisciplinary collaboration, enables design contributions that would otherwise be marginalised in regulatory environments, and provides designers with a structured way to align emotional, experiential and technical aims. Nine transferable design principles are provided that operationalise this approach for other regulated interdisciplinary projects.