If Biology seeks to answer the question, “what characteristics of living things?”, then design biology tries to understand how the processes and artifacts of living systems help define design opportunities for humans and other systems.
I’ve adapted this definition based on how Elizabeth Tunstall defines what it means to be a design anthropologist. However, whereas the anthropological approach is more concerned with meaning, I think the design biologist is at least as concerned with function. The reason for this is that there has to be a certain level of integration for living systems to continue to cooperate, behave, or evolve dynamically. Therefore, if we are designing a product, understanding what the consequences of the product’s lifecycle are for humans and other living organisms is crucial if they are going to sustainable. 
Another tactic is used by the Biomimicry Institute and seeks to incorporate processes and heuristics that exist in nature as for design research and strategy. By asking how a grebe or a spider accomplishes a certain task, we can understand a lot about the world. However, in order to do this, we need to have tools for recognizing patterns and process. Biologists bring these to the table during the design process. The other important skill is empathy. Being able to put oneself in another’s position is so important for recognizing how that solution may or may not work. Studying a leaf provides insight into the plant and may help you identify how your project can be cooperatively integrated into the ecosystem. Wouldn’t that be better than just designing despite the rest of the world? It’s a way cooler challenge.
