Complexity is a growing challenge in our lives, from social relations to pandemics to climate change. In the field of scientific research, complexity stimulates new connections between institutes and disciplines to foster interdisciplinarity and a broader vision. This study is based on an analysis of the publications of researchers in the field of industrial design ICAR/13 who sustained the National Scientific Habilitation in the period 2018-2020. In this context, data science describes the evolution of groups and themes showing that groups expand into different fields and institutes and highlighting that themes shift from material to immaterial. This degree of insight allows for innovative design strategies that are adaptable to contemporary challenges and oriented toward interdisciplinarity in education and research.