Background: In countries that endorse science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education as an educational movement, design-based learning is deemed a pedagogical approach. Purpose: Because the integration of the engineering design process and scientific investigation has been an issue in science education, this study examined the effect of initial design experience on students' understanding of pulleys. Methodology/Approach: We used quasi-experimental research, comparing two experimental groups with one control group in terms of their understanding of pulleys, measured by 10 multiple-choice conceptual questions. We used a one-way ANOVA and Tukey's HSD tests to compare the groups prior to and after design-based learning. Paired-sample t-tests were used to compare the pre- and postscores of each group. Findings/Conclusions: The results indicate that, while the experimental groups did not have a better understanding of pulleys than the control group did in the pretest, they outperformed the control group in the posttest. Moreover, although the control group did not demonstrate a significant improvement, the experimental groups did so with large effect size. Implications: Based on the premises of experiential education, it is suggested that, for design-based activities to be effective, students should design using their prior knowledge before engaging in scientific investigation.