A design matrix is a big table that helps people understand how different things are related to each other. It is like a puzzle where each piece represents a different factor that might affect something of interest.
For example, let's say someone wants to study how much sunshine affects how much flowers grow. They would create a design matrix with one column for the amount of sunshine and another column for the amount of flowers. Then, they would put in numbers or symbols to show how much sunshine was present when certain amounts of flowers grew.
Design matrices can be really helpful because they can show patterns in data that might not be obvious otherwise. They can also help people make predictions about what might happen if they change one thing or another. In this way, a design matrix is like a map that helps people navigate a complicated world.