Innovative Product Design Research Articles

Rapid Prototyping Technology: A Driving Force in Product Design Innovation

Abstract: This paper explores the transformative impact of rapid prototyping on product design processes across various industries. Rapid prototyping, characterized by its ability to quickly create physical models from digital designs, significantly enhances the iterative design phase, facilitating early testing and validation of concepts. RP includes the integration of technologies such as 3D printing, computer-aided design (CAD), and additive manufacturing in accelerating product iterations, reducing time-to-market, and fostering innovation. Rapid prototyping (RP) has emerged as a transformative approach in product development, significantly enhancing design processes across various industries. Sectors including automotive, consumer electronics and healthcare show how rapid prototyping streamlines communication among stakeholders, enhances user feedback incorporation, and reduces production costs

Exploring Product Design Innovation through Repair Techniques: Insights from Knowledge and Experience

Repair has been a longstanding activity in human society. However, in modern times, the production strategy of “planned obsolescence” has led to a decline in product quality and lifespan, resulting in closed and non-repairable products. Additionally, advertising manipulates consumers' desires, leading them to prefer replacing old items with new ones rather than repairing them. This has resulted in issues such as overconsumption, massive waste, and recycling challenges. Nevertheless, many DIY repair enthusiasts promote repair activities through communities and online media, highlighting the joy and creativity of repair. This unique relationship of care between people and objects extends the life of products and alters their original appearance and function, creating new possibilities to meet consumers’ needs. This study analyzes actual cases to explore how DIY repairers innovate during the repair process, reinterpret old items, and elucidate the interaction between people and objects. Furthermore, it argues that repair activities represent a radical approach to mitigating waste and are crucial for advancing sustainable development.

Pengaruh Kualitas Produk, Desain Produk, dan Brand Image Terhadap Kepuasan Pelanggan Kniel Sports Indonesia

This research aims to identify the effect of product quality, product design, and brand image on customer satisfaction of Kniel Sports Indonesia. A quantitative approach was used with a survey method, and data were collected through questionnaires from 100 respondents. Data analysis utilized multiple linear regression to test the influence of product quality, product design, and brand image on customer satisfaction. The results of the study demonstrate that these three variables simultaneously affect customer satisfaction. Meanwhile, partially, product quality and product design influence customer satisfaction, whereas brand image does not affect customer satisfaction. These findings imply that Kniel Sports Indonesia needs to focus on strengthening the brand image while maintaining product quality and design innovation to enhance customer satisfaction and competitiveness in both domestic and international markets.

Local business capacity to scale new hybrid maize seeds: Insights from a decade of tracking sales in Mexico

The return on investments from public-sector hybrid maize breeding depends heavily on the capacities of locally owned, small- and medium-sized seed enterprises (maize SMEs) to build market share for new products. In Mexico, between 2011 and 2020, dozens of maize SMEs obtained new genetic material through a hybrid maize breeding program funded by the Mexican government and led by the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT). To examine the maize SMEs’ ability to expand sales of new seed products, we tracked sales for 16 maize SMEs between 2014 and 2022. Our analysis captured variation in capacity by grouping the SMEs by seed sales volumes: emerging group (EG), small-sized group (SG), and medium-sized group (MG). The results showed the capacity of the MGs to launch and scale new seed products and remove older products from the market. The EGs and SGs expanded sales of new products, but also maintained production of older products, including open-pollinated varieties. However, during the observation period we detected little growth in total sales volumes across the three groups. The findings suggest that future efforts to promote local maize SMEs will benefit from a balanced approach between technology transfer and seed system development. We recommend that future seed systems investments consider: (1) support for innovation in seed-product marketing, (2) coordinated public-sector purchases that prioritize new products, and (3) innovation in product design for niche market development. These lessons may also serve future efforts to design regional-level programs in support of smallholder rainfed hybrid maize production.

Tunable bending characteristics of bamboo by regulating moisture content for bamboo curved component manufacturing

Traditional applications of mechanically robust bamboo are mostly confined to flat and straight components. Here, we investigated the tunable bending characteristics of bamboo strips by regulating the moisture content as a means to achieve efficient fabrication of single-layer and multi-layer bamboo curved components (SBCCs and MBCCs). Under the two opposite radial bending modes, the bending strength of bamboo strips decreased while their ductility and toughness increased as the moisture content increased from 0 % to 35 %, and the asymmetry of the bending properties became more pronounced. Moisture in bamboo strips was a double-edged sword for curved component manufacturing. Bamboo strips with high moisture content had higher bendability, which was conducive to improving the bending pass rate of SBCCs. At a bending radius of 70 mm, the total bending pass rate of SBCCs made from bamboo strips with 35 % moisture content was 85.9 % higher than that of SBCCs made from bamboo strips with 0 % moisture content. However, excessive moisture content could easily reduce the bending stability of the SBCCs and affect the bonding properties of the MBCCs. The optimal moisture content of bamboo strips for manufacturing curved components was 10–18 %, and increasing the moisture content of bamboo strips could produce components with complex shapes. The results can provide more possibilities for innovative bamboo product design and engineering applications, thereby promoting the utilization of sustainable and eco-friendly bamboo.

Sustainable design: Circular innovation design method under process reengineering

The theory of sustainable business process reengineering has been widely applied in various disciplines and has achieved outstanding results. The theory is used to the research of product innovation design method in this work, and the entire process of product innovation design method is reshaped, bringing new development and new direction for product innovation design. Redesign processes in line with societal trends and in a sustainable direction. Furthermore, it may effectively address the inadequacies of conventional design methodologies during the application process. Then, increase corporate efficiency in order to accomplish significant improvements in enterprise cost, quality, service, and speed. The study applies the systematic induction method, research analysis method, and other comprehensive research methods to analyze and study the existing design process and method, as well as excavate the shortcomings and limitations that exist in the process's application of the existing design method. Based on the BPR theory, the sustainable innovation design method for full chain products is divided into five design processes: scenario implantation, requirement extraction, functional determination, structural optimization, formal innovation, and material selection. In addition, the feasibility and accuracy of this method are verified through lifesaving equipment cases. Secondly, three principles for sustainable product innovation design were proposed. On the one hand, products made by designers and college students can truly meet customer needs, generate disruptive innovative designs, and improve the market competitiveness of industrial products. On the other hand, design is no longer a single stage, but a complete, systematic, and comprehensive set of design processes aimed at improving design efficiency and achieving sustainable product development.

Product innovation design approach driven by implicit relationship completion via patent knowledge graph

Product innovation design process involves a great deal of discrete engineering knowledge, limiting the ability of designers to quickly utilize this knowledge to support design innovation. Nowadays, innovation design based on knowledge graphs has enhanced the ability to explore design knowledge, improving the efficiency of knowledge retrieval. Previous studies have focused on mining more design knowledge to enrich the knowledge graph overlooks the implicit relationships with potential value among design knowledge, wasting design resources. To address these issues, an approach for product innovation design based on implicit knowledge relationship completion in the patent knowledge graph is proposed, which explores the implicit relationships between design knowledge to provide new knowledge satisfying design preferences and enhance the innovativeness of solutions. First, a requirements-function-structure-benefit (RFSB) knowledge ontology is constructed and extracted from the benefit knowledge of patents to build the knowledge graph. Second, an implicit relationship completion model based on the similarity of function or benefit entities explores the implicit relationships, replacing structure entities directly connected to similar function or benefit entities to generate new relationships and outputs novel ideas. Third, a scheme improvement process based on the co-occurrence frequency of requirement and structure knowledge supplements neglected design preferences. Final, a pipeline inspection robot case study is further employed to verify the proposed approach, and a patent knowledge graph assisted design solution prototype system is developed to assist in the utilization of innovative design knowledge. Evaluation results show the significant design potential of the proposed approach in inspiring innovative thinking and knowledge reuse.

Examining the Relationship Between Innovative Product Design, Cognitive Ergonomics, and the Effectiveness of Entity Design-system: Focusing on the Environment of Big Data-driven Interface

The evolution of design systems has undergone a transformative shift towards entity-based frameworks. These systems represent a paradigmatic departure from traditional design approaches by structuring design elements around modular, reusable components known as entities. This study examines the elements that affect entity-based design system effectiveness and its effects on computer-related sectors. The study examines how creative product design, cognitive ergonomics, and big data-driven interfaces affect system efficacy. The study also examines how information processing efficiency mediates and technology infrastructure moderates the relationship between design elements and system results. Data was collected from 254 Chinese design system specialists and practitioners using quantitative methods. Participants' design, technology, and system efficacy perceptions were assessed using a standardized questionnaire. AMOS was used for mediation and moderation analyses to evaluate study hypotheses and examine variable correlations. This study found strong correlations between design elements, technology capabilities, and entity-based design system efficacy. Innovative product design, cognitive ergonomics, and big data-driven interfaces had an impact on system results, both individually and together. Information processing efficiency was a key mediator, while technology infrastructure moderated system efficacy. This study adds to the literature by revealing the complex elements that affect entity-based design systems in computer-related sectors. The study improves our theoretical understanding of design systems by investigating the relationship between design factors, technology capabilities, and system results. It also offers practical advice for organizations looking to improve their design processes and user experiences.

Systematic Review of Kansei Engineering Method Developments in the Design Field

Kansei engineering is a critical method for designing products that meet functionality, usability, and pleasurability, essential elements for business success. Despite its significance, there is limited understanding of how this method has evolved in recent years. This study aims to analyze the development of Kansei Engineering research from 2018 to 2022 using the Scopus database. The research methodology involved stages of identification, screening, filtering, and inclusion, resulting in 41 articles for detailed analysis out of an initial 215. The results indicate that 85% of Kansei Engineering research focuses on tangible products, with 83% categorized as type 1 studies, and 56% not integrating other methods. Additionally, 88% of the studies use only Kansei words, and 41% visualize design results as 3D images, with 95% not considering unique aspects. is dominance of tangible product design and the lack of integration with other methods suggest a need for diversification in research approaches. Furthermore, the high reliance on Kansei words and 3D visualizations points to a potential area for innovation and expansion in research techniques. This review highlights a significant research gap in Kansei Engineering studies, emphasizing the need for more diversified approaches. By identifying these gaps, the study provides a clear direction for future research, recommending that Kansei Engineering should explore beyond the predominant trends and consider integrating with other methods and unique aspects. This can enhance the method's application in industrial engineering and lead to more comprehensive and innovative product designs. Future research should aim to fill these gaps, ensuring that Kansei Engineering continues to evolve and contribute effectively to the field of product design and development.

Innovative design model for the mortise and tenon structure

The mortise and tenon structure is a pivotal component of ancient Chinese architecture and furniture, encapsulating a rich history of evolution, cultural shifts, and productivity developments. Engaging modern individuals with this historical context through innovative product design provides a way to advance the cultural and creative industries and promote the sustainable development of mortise and tenon culture. This study conducted sentiment analysis on consumer reviews of three types of mortise and tenon cultural and creative products in the Chinese market, revealing consumer needs and expectations regarding functionality, quality, and design. Utilizing Norman’s Emotional Design Theory, the study analyzed the design elements of mortise and tenon cultural and creative products across the instinctive, behavioral, and reflective levels. A systematic design model was put together, providing both theoretical support and practical guidance for the future design of these products, thereby offering inspiration and aid for the modernization and transformation of traditional culture.

Research on Talent Cultivation of Local Product Design Professionals Based on Cooperative Education

The booming growth of creative industries has resulted in a substantial rise in the need for talented individuals in innovative product design. A multitude of institutions and universities possess open-product students majoring in design. Nevertheless, due to the alterations in consumer demand, traditional product design urgently needs reform due to monotonous functions and serious homogenisation. In recent years, the cultural and creative sectors have been actively seeking innovative and intelligent products since they have become a new trend in the consumer market. Moreover, universities' current talent training model for cultivating such needs still needs improvement. Drawing from the current condition of talent development in product design and integrating the pedagogical knowledge gained recently, this paper presents a novel idea of local product design professional talent cultivation founded on the principles of cooperative education.

Innovative Product Design for Clay Dogs

Innovative Product Design for Clay Dogs

The Approach for Identifying Opportunities in Product Innovation Design through Requirement Conflict Analysis

This study introduces a method to explore and broaden potential design avenues for a product by identifying opportunities for innovative design through requirement conflicts. The process involves clarifying user-expected demands using the Ideal Final Result approach and identifying potential conflicts by assessing product performance constraints and user expectations. Utilizing standardized representations of requirement conflicts, a knowledge retrieval technique based on expanding co-referential relationships is applied to analyze these conflicts. A judgment matrix is created to pinpoint clues for recognizing innovative design opportunities initially. Furthermore, the nine-windows method is utilized to expand and identify innovation opportunities along the time and system axis, leading to the identification of two types of innovation opportunities and their expanded outcomes. Ultimately, the method’s feasibility and practicality are validated by identifying innovative design opportunities within the context of the alpine tunnel construction system.

Scenario-based anticipatory failure determination and patent technology inspiration for product innovation design

Exploring opportunities of technologies for product is critical in the highly competitive market. Anticipatory failure determination (AFD) identifies likely failure modes of a product, which provides a tool to explore the technology opportunities for product improvement. The existing methods of AFD are limited in the failure analysis of system components and the acquisition of technical solutions for the failure cause is depending on designer experience. This research proposes an approach to product innovation design based on the scenario-based evolution of AFD and patent technology inspiration. Scenarios obtained based on the proposed scenario generation rules are used to form failure events from the product function level. The failure events are then used to explore technical opportunities based on the anticipatory failure determination. A word vector model is trained with the patent data to extract patent technology terms in combination with the semantic similarity of the functional basis. The Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) is used to cluster patent technologies. The best technical solution is finally selected based on the relative technology maturity and technological distance. The TRIZ tool is used to resolve possible conflicting problems. A complete product innovation design process is proposed from the technology opportunity exploration to concept design formation.

Multilevel modelling of sustainable consumption for achieving carbon neutral production – case study of the urban in Thailand

The research aims to determine a living model that is eco-environmental and sustainable. Climate change and scarcity of resources have led world policymakers, along with the United Nations, to set guidelines in the form of 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs). Sustainable production consumption is one of the major issues that is considered worldwide, including the SDG mission of the University ranking under SDG12.The paper proposes a new model development for sustainable consumption production using multi-criteria decision-making of the Fuzzy Analytical Hierarchy Process (FAHP) under the 5P principle. The questionnaire was designed and distributed to sample populations in the community, and the analysis was done under the FAHP procedure. The research area focused on green space near Bangkok, Bang Kachao. It is one of six local governmental units (Tambon) in Phra Pradaeng district located in Samut Prakran province, Thailand.It was found out that people concerned the most sustainable production consumption using natural local materials at 25.09%, followed by making community products by green industry at 12.42% and making local green products at 6.18%. From the development of the multi-modelling framework, the paper proposes a new model of the urban community in Thailand for sustainable production consumption to support SDG12 using FAHP for multi-decision making based on the 5P principle. There are people, porosity, planet, peace, and partnership.However, various factors influence production and consumption and impact the carbon footprint.It was obviously found that people mostly use local materials to make green local products under the local policy of 3R waste management. Innovative design uses community wisdom, knowledge and know-how to make value-added products.The strategic planning and control consist of green industry, zero waste management, zero carbon footprint and innovative product design. The expected outputs from the model are green and homemade products with cleaner production, clean energy, and gain carbon credit.

Innovative materials based on physical melt-blending of cutin from tomato waste and poly(lactic acid)

In the last decades, the improving and the progresses achieved following the principles of circular economy have unveiled virtuous approaches towards environmental challenges regarding the industrial processes. Agri-food waste constitutes a promising starting material for the design of innovative products with a marked improvement of the cradle-to-grave dynamics. In this scenario, the recovery of cutin from tomato peels waste represents an effective example of circular economy.In this work, the feasibility of the discontinuous melt-blending of cutin with poly(lactic acid) (PLA) was evaluated in order to obtain an innovative green material. Different blends of PLA and cutin have been characterized by using a multi-technique approach (FT-IR, DSC, TGA, SEM, rheological study, water vapour permeability) to achieve information on the nature and properties of these new materials. An important decrease of the final torque of the melt blends was observed, together with a decrease of the melt viscosity. Further increase in the cutin content in the blends was associated to a change in the viscosity of the melt. The addition of cutin to the PLA matrix caused a variation in the water vapour permeability, in accordance with the hydrophobic nature of the cutin.The obtained results attested that some degradation phenomena occurred along the process; however, the processability of these new blends is not impaired. The potential applications of these materials will mainly concern the agricultural sector and the production of degradable products with low environmental impact.

Addressing OSH challenges in non-standardized work practices in small-scale FMCG units by introducing context-specific ergonomic pouch/sachet cutting apparatus.

The FMCG manufacturing industry in industrially developing countries operates in a manual or semi-automatic setup, employing a vast labor force. Several non-standardized work activities prevail on the FMCG shop floor and remain prone to safety-related risks involving repetitive motions, forceful exertions, and awkward postures. Among those, the rework of defective pouches/sachets is an unsafe activity of prime concern. It is prone to minor nicks, cuts, and injuries due to inadequate tools being used. It involves sharp cutters/blades and extensive forceful manual hand squeezing, which leads to drudgery and safety concerns. There lies the lack of standardized tools/apparatus for rework activity, and efforts towards its mitigation are required. Current research aims to address occupational safety-related issues in non-standardized rework activity in small-scale FMCG units through an innovative product design approach. An ergo-audit was conducted in eight small-scale FMCG units to identify the prevailing ergonomic stressors and safety concerns. The most critical area of concern, i.e., rework activity, was chosen through card-sorting sessions and discussions held with the stakeholders. An appropriate context-specific apparatus was designed/developed to ensure better safety and occupational health utilizing a systematic product design method involving three phases: initial field survey, design and development, and field trials. The apparatus, which was developed and factory-trialed, was evaluated for productivity improvement and ensuring user compatibility from various human factors' perspectives. In field trials, the developed apparatus was found effective in mitigating safety concerns and various ergonomic stressors associated with FMCG rework.

Smart product platforming powered by AI and generative AI: Personalization for the circular economy

The interlocks between smart product platforming (SPP) powered by Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Generative AI, big data analytics, and machine learning are still in their infancy. Modern technology-driven SPP promotes personalized product design and manufacturing suited to support environmentally friendly products for the circular economy. In this study, we develop a framework pertaining to the interlinks between SPP, big data analytics, machine learning, and the circular economy. To test our framework, we apply structure equation modeling based on data collected from more than 200 automotive industry professionals operating in China. Our results demonstrate that SPP and big data analytics are the central determinants for manufacturing environmentally friendly products, ultimately promoting circular economy applications. SPP plays a pivotal role in innovative product design and in facilitating the relevant manufacturing procedures. Big data analytics significantly feed into SPP applications. Machine learning and flexibility in SPP perform moderating roles in strengthening environmentally friendly outcomes. The mediating role played by SPP between big data analytics and environmentally friendly products for the circular economy is partially encouraging. As SPP powered by AI and Generative AI is an emerging phenomenon, our study contributes to this new knowledge dimension. We conclude this paper by discussing the theoretical and practical implications of our study, its limitations, and directions for future research.

Pengaruh Limbah Mikroplastik Terhadap Organisme dan Upaya Penanganannya

In the midst of rapid industrial progress and global economic growth, the use of plastic has increased dramatically, causing serious environmental problems due to the accumulation of plastic waste. One of the most worrying aspects of this problem is the presence of microplastics, namely plastic particles less than five millimeters in size. The more accumulation of plastic waste found in the waters will cause damage to the surrounding water and sea environment, plastic waste that is not collected will be exposed to sunlight and exposure to air, the longer it will decompose into small particles called microplastics. In this research, the author researched using the library research method, namely by collecting and studying existing literature from various sources such as: journals, articles, books and others related to this research. Microplastics have spread widely in the environment, from oceans to land, and have had a serious impact on organisms and ecosystems throughout the world. The process by which microplastics are formed, their distribution in the environment, their impact on aquatic and terrestrial organisms, and their potential impact on human health are the main focus research and public attention. To overcome the microplastic problem, a holistic approach is needed that involves collaboration across sectors and scientific disciplines. Handling and mitigation efforts must cover various aspects, starting from regulating the use of single-use plastics, more effective management of plastic waste, developing technology for detecting and eliminating microplastics, to educating the public about the dangers of microplastics and the importance of environmentally friendly behavior. Concrete steps such as banning the use of single-use plastics, promoting recycling, innovation in product design, and cross-border cooperation in managing plastic waste are key in efforts to reduce the negative impact of microplastics. Only by taking these steps together can we create a cleaner, healthier and more sustainable environment for future generations.

The Big Data Thinking in Furniture Innovative Design Under the Environment Configuration of Modern Chinese Houses

"Big data" is a popular word at present, and its application in various industries has gradually become widespread. In the furniture industry, the application effect of big data in the market is more and more prominent, and the great value brought by big data to furniture enterprises is also more and more obvious. How to use big data to obtain the information advantage brought by big data is also an important problem faced by furniture enterprises. This paper introduces the application and application methods of big data in new furniture design, and discusses how furniture design can effectively use big data to seize market opportunities and achieve new business development. This paper discusses how to apply more extensive data thinking in furniture design, model development and subsequent design to improve product innovation design, so as to provide effective reference for the new development of furniture design. At the same time, we explored innovative furniture design in combination with reality, and found that using big data can effectively enhance the pertinence of furniture design and optimize user experience.