Innovating Product Meaning with Digital Technology: Case Studies in Electric Vehicles
Abstract
Digital technology is an important enabler of product innovation. While information systems (IS) researchers have studied the role of digital technology in innovating product function and aesthetics, its impact on innovating product meaning has received considerably less attention. Evidence suggests that shifts in product meaning can significantly influence buying behaviour. Despite the importance of meaning innovation, the scarcity of IS research on the topic has left it undertheorized. This thesis builds on existing design and management theories to advance the understanding of how designers use digital technology to innovate product meaning. Comparative case studies in two electric vehicle (EV) companies are used to build the theory describing three mechanisms for effecting meaning innovation: recombinant meaning making uses digital technology to change a product’s functions or aesthetics in a way that may lead users to perceive new meaning; associative meaning making uses digital technology to present the product in a way that may lead users to perceive new meaning; bricolaging meaning making uses digital technology to collect user feedback and selectively incorporating this to repropose meaning. These mechanisms operate within three different patterns of meaning in use: spontaneous emergence, purposeful creation, and aspirational guidance. These mechanisms and patterns of meaning innovation provide new perspectives on the role of digital technology in product design and innovation. By applying these mechanisms and patterns, companies can potentially create more commercially successful products, create them more often, and extend product life cycles.