Experimental design means planning a set of procedures to investigate a relationship

between variables. To design a controlled experiment, you need:

 A testable hypothesis
 At least one independent variable that can be precisely manipulated
 At least one dependent variable that can be precisely measured

When designing the experiment, you decide:

 How you will manipulate the variable(s)

 How you will control for any potential confounding variables
 How many subjects or samples will be included in the study
 How subjects will be assigned to treatment levels

Experimental design is essential to the internal and external validity of your experiment.