Purpose

The concept design-driven innovation focuses on innovating product meanings. It has been studied from a variety of perspectives and contexts since the early 2000s. However, a complete overview of the literature published in this area is currently missing. The purpose of this study is to provide a comprehensive understanding of how design-driven innovation contributes to value creation in product development.

Design/methodology/approach

In this systematic literature review, 57 papers and book chapters that cover design-driven innovation were identified and analyzed. An iterative coding process was followed to derive five facets of design-driven innovation that contribute to value creation.

Findings

Design-driven innovation creates value by focusing on the intangible values of products. The following five facets of design-driven innovation that contribute to value creation were identified: development of new product meanings, knowledge generation, actors and collaborations, capabilities and process. These facets and their interrelations are presented in a theoretical framework.

Practical implications

The main practical implication of this study is that it is now clear that the five facets of design-driven innovation are interrelated and reinforce each other. Therefore, companies need to approach design-driven innovation from a holistic perspective.

Originality/value

This paper contributes to theory by presenting the theoretical framework that provides an overview of available knowledge and that creates a context for future research.

Purpose – This study aims to explore the enablers and barriers to design-driven innovation, defined as the innovation of product meanings, in the product-development process. Previous research provides some insights into what enables and hinders design-driven innovation; however a detailed understanding of these factors is missing. Design/methodology/approach – A long-term case study was conducted at a furniture company between 2009 and 2016. Interviews were conducted with respondents within the company, as well as with partners such as retailers and designers. Findings – This paper presents an overview of the identified enablers and barriers. The results demonstrate that enablers and barriers occur in all phases of the product-development process. Second, the connections between enablers and barriers are presented. These are found both within and across different phases, and extend beyond the company’s influence. Research limitations/implications – This study demonstrates how the innovation of product meanings is influenced throughout all phases of the product-development process. Therefore, there is a need to go beyond the mere identification of enablers and barriers. More is gained from generating a thorough understanding of the causes and connections of these factors, including the changes over time. Practical implications – This study demonstrates the need for companies to be able to map what enables and hinders design-driven innovation in their product-development process, where a distinction needs to be made between internal and external factors, to enhance value creation. Originality/value – This study presents a rare long-term case study on design-driven innovation. This study provides new knowledge on the enablers and barriers a company faces while adapting its productdevelopment process to accommodate design-driven innovation.

Design-driven innovation focuses on the innovation of product meanings. This innovation is enabled by integrating knowledge on needs, product language and technological development. So far, it has mostly been studied in contexts where the buyer is the assumed end user. There has been little research about design-driven innovation in other contexts, such as business-to-business and public contexts. Here, companies need to create value for multiple stakeholders. In this study, these are defined as users, buyers and influencers. The aim of this study is to explore how companies consider the different stakeholders in the innovation of product meanings. Two companies participated in a case study. The results demonstrate that both companies mainly focus on addressing needs. However, while one case company prioritizes the perspective from the user, the other focuses more on the buyer. The results illustrate the increased complexity that companies need to manage in design-driven innovation in these contexts.

Design-driven innovation focuses on the innovation of product meanings. This innovation is enabled by integrating knowledge on needs, product language and technological development. So far, it has mostly been studied in contexts where the buyer is the assumed end user. There has been little research about design-driven innovation in other contexts, such as business-to-business and public contexts. Here, companies need to create value for multiple stakeholders. In this study, these are defined as users, buyers and influencers. The aim of this study is to explore how companies consider the different stakeholders in the innovation of product meanings. Two companies participated in a case study. The results demonstrate that both companies mainly focus on addressing needs. However, while one case company prioritizes the perspective from the user, the other focuses more on the buyer. The results illustrate the increased complexity that companies need to manage in design-driven innovation in these contexts.

Design-driven innovation, focused on the innovation of product meanings, provides a new perspective to better understand the contribution of design to innovation. Additionally, it enables new opportunities for value creation. At small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the Swedish wood products industry there is a need for such new value creation in order to remain competitive. However, design-driven innovation is not yet common in this context. Furthermore, there is little research on the innovation of product meanings focused on value creation. Therefore, the aim of this research is to explore value creation through design-driven innovation, in the context of SMEs in the Swedish wood products industry. This research addresses what value might be expected from design-driven innovation, as well as what enables and hinders this value creation. 

To address the aim, three studies have been conducted which are described in four appended papers. The studies consist of one systematic literature review and two case studies. The findings demonstrate that design-driven innovation contributes to value creation by focusing on product meanings, which intentionally addresses both tangible and intangible needs and therefore increases the perceived value of products. This research identified five facets of design-driven innovation which provide a structure to discuss what enables and hinders value creation. These are: (1) understanding new product meanings, (2) knowledge generation, (3) actors and collaborations, (4) capabilities, and (5) process. The facets can be seen as the origin of both enablers and barriers to value creation through design-driven innovation, depending on how they are addressed. Moreover, this research suggests that whether or not value is created is further influenced by the SMEs, their networks and the context in which they operate.