The Role of Design in Interdisciplinary Product Development – Challenges, Research Approaches and Further Research Needs

Abstract

In global competition, companies are continuously searching for a competitive advantage. A growing number of companies have identified the design of their products as a major success factor. The promises for companies associated with outstanding design are extremely attractive, ranging from better customer experience to higher sales growth. But even though the advantages of design seem to be compelling, companies are still having difficulties in leveraging the benefits of design.In this paper, we want to identify the underlying challenges that explain this gap. We are especially interested in the role and challenges of design in interdisciplinary product development. Therefore, we perform a literature review that clarifies terminology, analyses research approaches and identifies challenges. We determine seven key challenges for design in interdisciplinary product development. Furthermore, we observe a limited scope of research approaches in the reviewed literature. Based on these findings, we propose three further research directions to strengthen the role of design in interdisciplinary product development in the future.