PSS and Innovation of Meaning

This study explores the relationship between product meaning and product service systems (PSSs), in the context of innovation of meaning (IoM). Existing IoM studies have focused on intended meaning (as defined in new product development) and ignored the received meaning that users reconstruct throughout an entire product life cycle. The process by which a user assigns meaning to things can be not only static but also dynamic. This study focuses on PSSs as comprising integrated products and contexts offered by services, and analyses the case of Japan’s largest manufacturer of ankle–foot orthoses, which is an assistive product. The results show that PSSs help users reconstruct meanings in dynamic cognitive processes; PSSs also help users leverage metaphors that contribute to consistency between products and services. Additionally, the positive emotion elicited from users by novel meanings can help augment profits by promoting the sale of related products and services.

Using actor-network theory to reveal strategy processes in design firms

In this paper we illustrate the utility of actor-network theory (ANT) as a methodological approach to understand the effect of the eclectic characteristics of design firms on their strategy development processes. The need for creativity, expertise knowledge and the constant need to innovate suggest that the mainstream strategy or decision-making theories provide unsatisfying insights into how strategy of the design firm emerges. These culture laden organisations often operate with limited formality, therefore require attention to the social side of decision-making. To address this rich complex social-fabric of decision-making, we suggest to study strategy development as the result of the formation of actor-networks. By illustration of data collected from 13 interviews with design firms in mainly Europe and a longitudinal study of a global digital design firm, we illustrate how an ANT-based approach allows theorists to analyse the rich cultural complexity of design firms’ decision-making in a focused and coherent manner.

People as an essential tool for considering ethics in the product lifecycle

This paper explores the vital engagement of people at different stages of the product lifecycle. The incorporation of human values in the creation of empathy allows for ethics to be considered across the design and make process. A case study approach was adopted utilising data obtained from two large consumer goods companies. From this, a relationship was found to lie between the involvement of people as active participants and the creation of empathy. These empathetic values consequently facilitated the consideration of a responsible approach to be implemented. Conclusions show that during the design process people create added value with a participatory approach, whilst during production consumers become prosumers in consumer-led innovation to help drive forward an ethical agenda.

The what, how and who of social service design

Services are an important type of intervention used to address complex societal problems such as chronic health problems and climate change. Social services are defined as services that have a social purpose, and are based on high-quality social interactions between service deliverer and service consumer. This paper shows through three case studies what we are designing, how we design, and who designs when designing social services. The case studies show that while some are focused on the interface between service deliverer and consumer, an important type of intervention is a ‘social infrastructure’, which is a structured way of bringing service deliverers together to incrementally redesign their own service. Practices that support the design of social services include: developing a deep understanding of the needs of both service consumers and service deliverers, using design expertise to frame complex problems, and playing an active role in prototyping and implementing the intervention.

Inspiration Space

Building on the assumption that the physical environment can have an influence on the creativity of designers and design students in particular, the aim of this paper is to provide theoretical propositions and evidences for this relationship. We develop various propositions about the influence of physical environments on creativity, based on eight expert interviews and supported by literature. A particular focus was given to the environments of design educational institutions. We present a summary of the main insights and visualize the developed propositions as a causal graph addressing how space influences creativity. These propositions can be regarded as a first step towards a theory of creativity-supporting learning environments and they can serve as a reference when designing or adjusting creative learning spaces.

Section 5.d Introduction

The classic brand design literature presents and illustrates best practices in developing the physical, graphical and semiotic aspects of a brand. However, both practitioners and academics outline that brand design is only the starting point of the brand strategy, which has to be completed and complemented by designing and effectively managing meaningful brand experiences. The success of the brand depends on a value co-creation process in which the intentions and offerings of producers and vendors encounter, and interact with, the customer experiences of the brand and of the associated product. A brand experience designed for the customer can therefore be multi-dimensional and not just product led.

Section 6.a Introduction

There is an increasing need for organizations to adapt to rapid changes in society. This need requires organizations’ and the leader within them, to explore, recognize, build and exploit new capabilities. Researching such capabilities has drawn attention from the design management research community in recent years. Dominantly, research contributions have focused on perspectives of innovation and the strategic application of design with the researcher distanced from context. Descriptive and evaluative case studies of past organizational leadership have been vital, by building momentum for the design movement. However, there is a need now to progress toward prescriptive and explorative research perspectives that embrace context through practice and the simultaneous research of design. Therefore, the aim of this track is to lead and progress discussion on research methodologies that support the research community in developing explorative and prescriptive research methodologies for context-orientated organizational research. This track brings together a group of diverse international researchers and practitioners to fuel discussion on design approaches and subsequent outcomes of prescriptive and explorative research methodologies.

The Application of UX Research in New Energy Vehicle Innovation

New energy vehicles(NEV) as a new thing for sustainable development, in China, on the one hand has faced the rapid expansion of the market; the other hand, for the new NEV users, the current NEVs cannot keep up with the degree of innovation. This paper demonstrates the reasons for the existence of this systematic challenge, and puts forward the method of UX research which is different from the traditional petrol vehicles research in the early stage of development, which studies from the user's essence level, to form the innovative product programs which meet the needs of users and being real attractive.

The role of service design practices in enabling and embedding the servitization transition

An increasing number of companies are embracing the transition from a product focus to a service focus in their offering in order to face the challenges of the experience economy. However such transition (i.e., servitization) is challenging, since it requires companies to change both their processes and their mindset. In this paper we propose service design practices as an effective approach for overcoming the challenges of servitization and for achieving such a multi-layered transformation. By means of expert interviews, ethnography and multiple case studies, we empirically show how service design professionals guide companies towards a sustainable adoption of service orientation and successful implementation of service innovations. Specifically, we describe and exemplify a set of practices through which service design professionals establish a service-oriented mindset, introduce a service-specific development process, and a create widespread commitment to the servitization transition

A model of service design elements to understand innovative service processes

This paper aims to provide an understanding of innovative service design processes by comparing service design logic with the entrepreneurial logics of causation, effectuation and bricolage (CEB). The paper draws upon empirical data to show how both service design logic and entrepreneurship logics may help us to create more innovative service design outcomes. In this process, we hope to understand how the creation of value enters into the service innovation process through co-creation between customers, organisations, ecosystem members and society. Data used within this paper includes deep qualitative interviews with key stakeholders, written documents and participative observation. From our analysis, we develop a model of service innovation design that shows how design logics and entrepreneurial logics influence the development of new and innovative services.