Abstract
A design problem with deficient information is generally described as wicked or ill-defined. The information insufficiency leaves designers with loose settings, free environments, and a lack of strict boundaries, which provides them with more opportunities to facilitate innovation. Therefore, to capture the opportunity behind the uncertainty of a design problem, this study models an innovative design as a composite solving process, where the problem is clarified and resolved from fuzziness to satisfying solutions by interplay among design problems, knowledge, and solutions. Additionally, a triple-helix structured model for the innovative product design process is proposed based on the co-evolution of the problem, solution, and knowledge spaces, to provide designers with a distinct design strategy and method for innovative design. The three spaces interact and co-evolve through iterative mappings, including problem structuring, knowledge expansion, and solution generation. The mappings carry the information processing and decision-making activities of the design, and create the path to satisfying solutions. Finally, a case study of a reactor coolant flow distribution device is presented to demonstrate the practicability of this model and the method for innovative product design.
Highlights
A design problem is usually described negatively as illdefined or wicked because of its vague initial state, either unknown or ambiguous goal state, and insufficient information [1]
Designers are left with loose settings, free environment, and less strict boundaries to explore creative ideas from the problem uncertainty
With the problem-knowledge-solution co-evolution, the innovative design is described as a spiraling iterative process starting from an uncertain problem, incomplete knowledge, unconstrained solution, and ending with the structured problem, acceptable solutions, and corresponding solving knowledge
Summary
A design problem is usually described negatively as illdefined or wicked because of its vague initial state, either unknown or ambiguous goal state, and insufficient information [1]. In the revised co-evolution model, it was suggested that the creative event is not so much a “creative leap” from the problem to the solution whereby the designer first fixes the problem and searches for a solution; it occurs when a problem-solution pairing is framed, during which the designer forms coherent information and helps to crystallize core solution ideas By adopting this model, the ill-defined or wicked problem is solved with the integration of the solution, and both the problem formulation and solution ideas are developed and refined by a constant iteration of analysis, synthesis, and evaluation between the two spaces. With the problem-knowledge-solution co-evolution, the innovative design is described as a spiraling iterative process starting from an uncertain problem, incomplete knowledge, unconstrained solution, and ending with the structured problem, acceptable solutions, and corresponding solving knowledge
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