Innovative product design based on radical problem solving

Abstract

Innovative design improves the product competitive ability in the market. Radical innovation breaks boundaries of existing technology limitations and market expectations by creating new technological advantages for new product development. However, the existing design methods are not effective for the radical innovation product development. This paper proposes a new method for the radical innovation product design. Technical efficacy is extracted from the patent information. Core function units are identified sequentially through the cluster analysis, importance evaluation and weight mapping. It provides a precise target for the identification of radical problems. Based on the core idea of Ideal Final Result and Breaking Boundary, a multilevel problem identification model is proposed. It identifies radical problems at a high system level based on the performance of problems at different levels. A framework is built for radical problems solving based on the alternative effect technology. Automated effect search tools and effect technologies provide the effective support for fast and creative problem-solving. The alternative effect technology further enhances the richness of solution resources. The proposed method clarifies the direction of radical innovation product design at the problem definition stage, which reduces uncertainties of the design process and increases the radical innovation success rate. The feasibility and effectiveness of the method are verified by redesigning a wave power generator.