In search of innovation : grasping the concept of needs

• The starting position for this paper is experiences in identifying needs. The paper discusses the concept of needs and seeks to explore whether needs, as a concept, can be identified and understood in the relevant literature. The discussion is inspired by both an engineering design perspective and an interaction design perspective of needs. The discussion highlights a duality of needs, needs are partly easy to express and partly difficult, even impossible, to express. Thus, to grasp the concept as a whole, it is necessary to adapt different approaches. Needs that are difficult to express are situated in the user's context and are experienced by the user as a perceived lack of satisfying solutions. The solution is not understood or known by the user. Therefore, needs cannot be easily expressed by the user; such needs have to be found. An interpretive approach adapted by the design team and/or the needfinder to understand the user's situation and to identify such needs is suggested.

Ämnesord

TEKNIK OCH TEKNOLOGIER  -- Annan teknik -- Övrig annan teknik (hsv//swe)

ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY  -- Other Engineering and Technologies -- Other Engineering and Technologies not elsewhere specified (hsv//eng)

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Medie- och kommunikationsvetenskap -- Systemvetenskap, informationssystem och informatik med samhällsvetenskaplig inriktning (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Media and Communications -- Information Systems, Social aspects (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Funktionella produkter

Functional Product Development

Informatik

Informatics

Publikations- och innehållstyp

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