Case study of design-driven innovation in Japanese high-end electrical fan market: Focusing on differences in originators

Abstract

This study aims to clarify the differences in processes, outcomes, and post-launch ripple effects in design-driven innovation (DDI), starting from industrial designers (IDs) and developmental technologists (DTs), and how they differ from the model proposed by Verganti. We examine two instances of DDI in cases within the mature Japanese electrical fan (E-fan) market. In the first case, the originator is an ID, and in the second, the originator is a DT. Our results show that both DDIs created new meanings and established a high-end E-fan market, de-maturing it. By contrast, the processes, outcomes, and post-launch ripple effects of the two DDIs differed significantly. These differences in DDIs can be attributed to the differences in the initiators of each DDI. Additionally, the DDI process in the first case differs from that advocated by Verganti. This difference can be attributed to the use of the Japanese design approach.