A KNOWLEDGE INTEGRATION BASED DESIGN THINKING MODEL TO PRODUCT INNOVATION

摘要

It is generally accepted that knowledge plays an important role inside design innovation. This paper initially reviews recent studies of creative cognition that have explored the essence properties of design thinking and tries to investigate design thinking models in the process of product innovation. In this research, a pilot study was conducted in five "design organizations" producing consumer goods of various kinds in order to identify how design knowledge functions in the product innovation process. From this study, it was found that design innovation was always divided up in certain processes: knowledge conflict, knowledge brokering and knowledge collaboration. Based on the pilot study, the properties of design thinking were analyzed. It was identified that innovation happens by deliberation more often than by inspiration, and a design problem (or design requirement) is the prime motivation of design thinking and innovation. It is dependent on two aspects whether the problem could initiate "thinking activity" or not: information capacity of the problem which stimulates designers and sensitivity of thinking. The minimum capacity which can initiate thinking is the critical problem capacity; and that sensitivity of thinking lies on knowledge embedded in the designer's memory. So three key elements contained in design thinking are proposed: 1. Design problems, 2. Information capacity of the problem and 3. Thinking sensibility. Then, the relationship between the three elements is discussed, and the structure of design thinking is proposed. It is integrated into hierarchical structure as one of the competence requirements for design innovation. As a "knowledge integrator", there exists complicated logical inter-relationship in knowledge configuration. It provides to some extent the possibility for the realization of design thinking, and a new thinking to the research of design methodology.