IMPROVING THE PRODUCT INNOVATION PROCESS IN TEAMS BY SUPPORTING REFLECTION
DS 36: Proceedings DESIGN 2006, the 9th International Design Conference, Dubrovnik, Croatia
Year: 2006
Editor: Marjanovic, D.
Author: Petrovic, K.; Mueller, A.; Herbig, B.
Section: HUMAN BEHAVIOUR IN DESIGN WORKSHOP
Page(s): 1499-1504
Abstract
The process of innovative product development is characterized by high demands on the cognitive capacity of designers. We define the product innovation process as a complex task under conditions of task novelty, pressure and uncertainty. The experimental study presented in this paper investigates the contribution of reflection support to the successful development of an innovative product. We used an adapted version of Kelly’s Repertory Grid method to foster reflection about a group task. Results show a positive influence of the method on the quality of product innovation. We describe the method, illustrate its implementation in a specific design task and discuss the industrial application of the method.
Keywords: product innovation process, reflection method