[js1138]

Does that mean the word "design" should be left out of scientific inquiry altogether?

Without an operational definition, it ain't science. What would logic dictate?

How do you inquire without methods and procedures? How do you inquire without asserting the expected results of an experiment or controlled observation?

[Fester Chugabrew]

Without an operational definition, it ain't science. What would logic dictate?

In your case, that there is no such thing as "design" and we must therefore remove that word from all dictionaries.

How do you inquire without methods and procedures? How do you inquire without asserting the expected results of an experiment or controlled observation?

You don't. Methods and procedures themselves require intelligence and design. So does inquiry. So do control and observation.

Watch out for that treeeeeee!