Applying design thinking to support innovation on new product and service development

Abstract

The new product and service development is closely related to design, which is essential to innovation. Also, innovation has become a key factor for firms' survival, development and success. The creation of a new product or service is clearly divided in three phases: Fuzzy Front End (FFE), new product or service development and commercialization. The FFE has a fuzzy, experimental and uncertain nature and it covers from idea generation to development authorization. The new product or service development is a process in which solutions are searched, created and selected. Therefore, it is a phase where the creative potential is essential to reach innovation success. It is proposed to explore the application of design thinking in these phases, which is a user-centered creation methodology that claims to be able to handle such types of situation; that is, complex and difficult problems, fuzzy reasoning and generating innovative and creative ideas. Some studies in literature have approached the customer interaction in the FFE, but without an interaction methodology. However, there are no studies that explore the integration between design thinking and the FFE or integration between design thinking and the new product and service development, aiming to identify the best phases and best methods and tools for its application. This study aims to explore the application of design thinking on products and services innovation, which may involve, according to the author, the Fuzzy Front End and the new product and service development process, whenever innovative concepts and ideas are applied. (AU)