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Papers by Paul Wormald

The construct ‘value proposition’ is becoming evident in the world of design, as business and mar... more The construct ‘value proposition’ is becoming evident in the world of design, as business and marketing intersect with the processes of design. Value proposition can be a powerful way of modelling ideas for products, rather than the actual realisation of those products. The paper offers a brief overview of literature referencing value proposition, found in relevant fields of business and innovation. The paper details a primary investigation of the usage of value proposition by design companies. This is conducted through an analysis of industrial design firms’ websites across six key countries. The findings are that value proposition is still a minor component of the offerings of design firms. However, it was found that larger companies do utilise similar forms of ‘idea modelling’. The paper goes on to propose a structured method of building and communicating a value proposition for designers – VP(d). This offers a bridge between various pre-product and post-product states. An implication is that it strengthens design and designers’ role in business and strategic innovation.

The conceptual design stage is a design phase that is full of personal decision-making using pref... more The conceptual design stage is a design phase that is full of personal decision-making using preferred methods and strategies for problem framing. Previous studies on establishing a shared goal and reaching a consensus between clients and consultants in real-life projects have seldom been addressed exhaustively. The goal of this study is to identify the appropriate methods in problem framing and ways of achieving mutual understanding as practiced by consultancies based in Singapore and Malaysia.

A multiple case studies research method was used in this study. The data collection tools included semi-structured in-depth interviews with open-ended questions, follow-up interviews, and multiple sources of evidence, i.e. interview recordings, archival records and documentation. Two levels of data research analysis were conducted with Qualitative NVivo 10, i.e. within-case and cross-case analysis.

Two approaches in problem framing were identified, i.e. problem-solving and collaborative approach. When attempting to achieve a consensus with clients, collaborative approach shows better merits than problem-solving approach to reduce the communication barriers and to streamline the decision-making process with clients. Three factors affecting the process of achieving a consensus in problem-solving approach were revealed and discussed.

The use of the construct 'value proposition' is becoming prominent in the world of design, as bus... more The use of the construct 'value proposition' is becoming prominent in the world of design, as business and marketing intersect more with the processes of design. Value proposition can be a powerful way of capturing, or modelling, ideas for products, rather than the actual realisation of those products. The paper makes a case that the creation and articulation of value proposition is a necessary design ability that should concern design educators, in the same way that other modelling activities are. This is especially so within a discipline such as industrial design where the application of design relates strongly to commercial new product development. The teaching and learning of early, front end strategic innovation to design students is discussed. The building of an explicit value proposition 'model' is a key element of this work. The linkage between value proposition and front end user, global and brand research strands is presented. The paper draws on primary and secondary research activities in the areas of design education and professional design which relate to the practices of strategic innovation. Forms, models, and usage of value proposition are identified from literature relating to innovation, business models, and new product development.

It is accepted that industrial design practice has changed, and that design education is also cha... more It is accepted that industrial design practice has changed, and that design education is also changing to reflect realities of innovative new product development (NPD). The paper presents a model innovation process, called Front End Industrial Design (FE-ID), which is employed in undergraduate teaching and learning. It has been developed to tackle the pedagogy of the broad arena of pre-brief, front end innovation activities in commercial NPD.

Singapore has progressed significantly in the area of design over the last ten years. This paper ... more Singapore has progressed significantly in the area of design over the last ten years. This paper is concerned with the discipline of industrial design in Singapore. The paper reports on research into the topic which has employed literature review and structured interviewing of design professionals across the spectrum of practice, education and government policy. The paper attempts to provide an overview of how industrial design has developed, and its potential future role in the country. Industrial design was originally viewed as a servant of indigenous manufacturing industry, and particularly of large overseas multi-national corporations which the Singapore government attracted to be based in the country. In 2002 the creative industries were selected as a target for economic growth. Government financial support followed and the decade witnessed numerous design conferences, exhibitions, competitions and 'big name' visitors. The stated aim was to make Singapore the 'design hub' for Asia. Its profile in the design world has certainly been raised, but the role and scope of industrial / product design has remained generally static. Government policies succeeded in developing design's position in the cultural landscape of Singapore, and industrial design played its part in this success. Even though industrial design remains a small component (less than 5%) of all the design-related creative industries in Singapore, the research reveals a current situation which finds Singapore optimistic in seeking to employ design as a strategic tool to foster innovation and increase economic performance beyond its traditional, but now diminishing, consumer product manufacturing base.

FE-ID can be represented by a process model which utilises a range of interconnected and related ... more FE-ID can be represented by a process model which utilises a range of interconnected and related models and sub-processes. A diagram of this process model is shown in figure 1.

International Journal of Technology and Design Education, Jan 1, 2011

Design Creativity 2010, Jan 1, 2010

… of the 17th International Conference on …, Jan 1, 2009

Design Issues, Jan 1, 2007

J. of Design Research, Jan 1, 2008

Design and Emotion, Jan 1, 2003

International Journal of Product Development, Jan 1, 2009

The paper presents a case to support the business of Small-and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) th... more The paper presents a case to support the business of Small-and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) through the building of partnerships between universities and companies which foster and support the introduction of industrial design processes in the SMEs. The basis of the partnership is the use of the UK government's 'Knowledge Transfer Partnership' (KTP) schemes to initiate and develop in-house industrial design capability in the SMEs. The paper presents two case studies that raise design management issues and underline the value of industrial design expertise for SMEs. It discusses the positive and negative issues centred on the introduction of graduate-level in-house industrial design expertise for product innovation in manufacturing-sector SMEs. The paper demonstrates that through the discipline of industrial design and the mechanism of a well-managed KTP programme, SMEs can improve their commercial performance and operate successfully in global markets.

Design Studies, Jan 1, 2008

Proceedings of …, Jan 1, 2003

The work presented in this paper is taken from a research project that investigates modelling and... more The work presented in this paper is taken from a research project that investigates modelling and design with particular reference to industrial design and the use of different media and tools for product form-giving. The paper draws on collaborative work with product development teams at Procter & Gamble, set up to evaluate the FreeForm haptic modelling system in an industrial context. One aspect of the research has been to investigate the integration of the FreeForm haptic modelling system into new product development (NPD). In relation to this, this paper reports on potential uses and weaknesses of the system, and suggests how it could be best integrated into product development.

Design Journal, Jan 1, 2003

Proceedings of the 7th …, Jan 1, 2002

proceedings of the …, Jan 1, 2002

Haptics research has become a significant issue in industrial design recently by offering a revol... more Haptics research has become a significant issue in industrial design recently by offering a revolutionary approach for combining physical and digital modelling. Despite the progress made in the past two decades, haptic devices have not yet become commonplace in industrial design. SensAble's FreeForm haptic modelling system, combined with the PHANToM device, is the first CAID tool which lets designers sculpt and form virtual clay and foam using similar tools and techniques that are employed in the physical world. This paper reports the design and modelling experiment using the FreeForm system which aimed at examining a potential strengths and weaknesses of the system according to industrial designers, and exploring the level of usability that the haptic system would provide in 3D form-giving. The results show that the concept is very promising, especially for the early stages of design. However, the system has some drawbacks at the moment. In order to be able to use the system at the later stages of design, it is important to identify how industrial designers work, and what tools and techniques they commonly use in 3D form-giving.