An optimal design is a type of experimental design specifically structured to produce the best possible result in a decision-making or problem-solving process. Statistics expert Jack Carl Kiefer first proposed the theory of optimal design in 1959. In effect, an optimal design is that which satisfies the selected criterion of optimality to the greatest degree possible. The theory of optimal design has many practical applications, including simple decision-making and system design.

Salem Press Encyclopedia, 2023. 2p.