Centre for Technology Management

The Innovation - Styling Spectrum: Factors Constraining the Design Ambition of UK SMEs

*James Moultrie, Pete Fraser
Centre for Technology Management, Institute for Manufacturing, University of Cambridge, Mill Lane, Cambridge, CB2 1RX, UK.

*jm329eng.cam.ac.uk

P John Clarkson
Engineering Design Centre, University of Cambridge

Abstract

Good product design encompassing desirability, usability and producibility is a potent source of competitive advantage and plays a major role in product innovation. To support the development of usable and desirable products, Industrial Design has traditionally been viewed as providing aesthetic, ergonomic and visualisation input to product design [Herbst 1996], with the role of the industrial designer dependent on product type [Walsh et al, 1992]. However, the role of the industrial designer is changing and many designers now view themselves as creative leaders, innovators and strategists [Lorenz 1994, Desbarats 1994]. This suggests a spectrum of possible involvement for industrial design, from traditional styling through to leading the development of business strategy, irrespective of product type. In practice, many small companies lack specialist industrial design skills and often employ an external consultancy. However, finding the right one and managing the relationship can be perceived as both difficult and costly [Moody 1980]. When the barriers to involving an external specialist are sufficient, it is likely that the engineering or marketing staff will take on aspects of aesthetic and ergonomic design themselves. This approach has been described as 'silent design' [Gorb & Dumas 1987]. The importance of early industrial design input into product development has been argued in both the academic and popular press [Kotler 1984, Tarasewich 1996, Harkins 1989]. In particular, several scholars have attempted to establish the connectivity between design input and the commercial success of a product [Black & Baker 1987, Roy et al 1993, Hertenstein 2001]. Typically, these studies isolate 'design' or 'design orientation' as the independent variable, often with a loose definition of 'design' to include industrial design, engineering design and other product development input. However, in practice, 'design' may also be treated as a dependent variable which is influenced by cultural, managerial, market and other organisational issues. It is thus difficult to isolate 'design' as the primary contributor to success [Gemser 2001]. Whilst recognising potential methodological issues, these studies generally conclude that early involvement of industrial design expertise is often strongly associated with commercial success. Gemser also suggests that the impact of industrial design input will be contingent upon the nature of the underlying technology and the 'design orientation' of the industry. This study aims to explore the ways in which Small and Medium sized Enterprises (SMEs) take advantage of external industrial design expertise. Of particular interest are the the factors which inhibit the involvement of external industrial designers and restrict a company's design ambition, where low design ambition is characterised by late (or no) involvement of industrial design during product development.