This Is AuburnElectronic Theses and Dissertations

An Approach For Designing Tech-Driven Innovative Products with a Focus On Improving Early Adoption

Date

2021-08-02

Author

An, Xin

Type of Degree

Master's Thesis

Department

Industrial and Graphic Design

Abstract

A variety of emerging technologies have become an essential feature of our time. Today’s designers not only need to design products but also should serve as a bridge between these technologies and human life. Part of the designer’s responsibility is to bring these technological developments and innovations to actual products that practically serve people’s needs. To achieve this goal, designers need to understand these technologies and identify their strengths, limitations, and constraints. At the same time, it is the designer’s job to understand the position of the potential customers in the market and discover their actual needs. The ultimate goal is to make the design features match the users’ needs. Focusing on the early stage of product and service development, this thesis aims to provide designers with an approach to identifying potential needs from the user’s perspective, improving innovation adoption performance when designing products and services utilizing emerging technologies. Several research methods for designers to better understand the potential customers will be introduced, and multiple guidelines and assessment tools helping the designers accelerate the early-stage product and server adoption will be included.