Design-driven Innovation, defined as the radical meaning change in user experience, is acknowledged as a successful strategy for product innovation. However, the absence of explanatory tools of meaning in design-driven innovation results in difficulty in demonstrating design's contribution to innovation. This paper presents the conceptual blending theory's potential as an explanatory tool to identify and measure the meaning change in design-driven innovation. Conceptual blending theory is a cognitive linguistics approach to understanding a new meaning by combining two existing concepts. Pursuing better evaluation of meaning change, we investigated users’ semantic responses to the hacking design with different degrees of conceptual blending. A series of IKEA hacking designs were then exposed to users by undertaking the interactive design exhibition, including Survey and Focus Group Interviews. We assumed that higher blending would result in preferred designs. Surprisingly, the findings challenged our initial assumption, revealing that the middle-blended design emerged as the most intriguing and captivating option. Given its linguistic origins, conceptual blending theory may encounter challenges in fully aligning with design practice's multifaceted and dynamic nature and its pursuit of innovation. The results suggested us to explore avenues for adapting and integrating conceptual blending theory more effectively with considering (1) the degree of meaning blending, (2) utility function, and (3) prior exposure to the brand.
IASDR 2023
An investigation into the product attachment between single-person household and their home appliances
Products that are emotionally bonded are more likely to be successful in the market than those that are not. Emotional bonding is defined as product attachment. It induces positive relationships between user and product by offering a more expansive, holistic approach to design for higher longevity from the sustainability perspective. Although it is an important factor in product development, little research has been done towards understanding product attachment, especially for home appliances. The study aimed to further understanding of product attachment in home appliance design. A total of ten home appliances were selected by cross-mapping of physical interaction density and physical distance. A questionnaire and in-depth interviews were used to identify product attachment determinants and the reason for the user’s emotional experience in exploring design opportunities. The results indicate, although the users' age, cultural and ethnic features inevitably affect to the emotional evaluation in the product experience, that physical distance has less impact on product attachment, but higher physical interaction density could increase the emotional bonding opportunities between users and appliances. Among the 4 product attachment determinants, the self-expression element shows a low response to the home appliance. In the low attachment group, the pleasure element is found to be noticeably insufficient. The discussion for the product attachment approach in the appliances broadens a new perspective of design consideration in designing emotional experiences.
Han, G., Self, J.A.,and Kim, C.(2023) An investigation into the product attachment between single-person household and their home appliances, in De Sainz Molestina, D., Galluzzo, L., Rizzo, F., Spallazzo, D. (eds.), IASDR 2023: Life-Changing Design, 9-13 October, Milan, Italy.
Although much work exists to describe design-driven meaning innovation, few provide objective tools to identify and measure meaning innovation. Within the context of everyday design and adopting conceptual blending theory, we identify and assesses design-driven innovation in meaning within cases of IKEA product hacking as examples of higher-level everyday design. Conceptual blending is used as a scaffold for a content analysis of 100 IKEA hacks to identify 60 cases of meaning change. These cases are further assessed through objective meaning innovation scores derived from conceptual blending theory. A user evaluation is then conducted through a pair-wise comparison of the 60 cases to derive meaning innovation scores. The results indicate, although personal biases, idiosyncrasies, and life experiences inevitably influence evaluation of innovation through conceptual blending, that the approach has potential as an objective means to identify and evaluate design-driven meaning innovation in cases of everyday design. Finally, broader implications for assessing meaning innovation are discussed.
Han, G. E., Jeong, Y., & Self, J. A. (2022). Everyday design-driven innovation: Exploring meaning change in IKEA hacking. The Design Journal, 25(2), 243-262.
Archives of Design Research
Where does Everyday Design Innovation come from?: Case studies in IKEA Product Hacking
Design is no longer owned only by skilled designers. Product hacking, which has to emerge as a major phenomenon in industrial and consumer products, is an everyday design activity aimed at remaking and remanufacturing existing products that provide new meanings. This paper aims to contribute to identifying design innovation within cases of product hacking as examples of everyday design. Product hacking workshops were conducted to explore the potential of conceptual blending as means to identify innovation in everyday design activity. Through a trial and error morphological approach, participants appeared to arrive at Aha! moments that then acted as a catalyst for the identification of a feasible blend possibility. Rather than the explicit operation or application of meaning blends in product hacking, participants relied upon the juxtaposition of existing products as both opportunity and constraint on product combination and meaning change. Conceptual meaning blending may have the potential as means to identify and assess innovation in everyday design activity, including product hacking. However, results indicate that meaning blending and their meanings were not an explicit approach to meaning innovation through the blending of existing products.
Han, G., Jeong, Y., & Self, A. J. (2021). Where does Everyday Design Innovation come from?: Case studies in IKEA Product Hacking. Archives of Design Research, 34(1), 53-67.