Ehsan Baha

Université de Montréal | UdeM · School of Industrial Design

In this paper we present how the meaning of a product can radically be innovated through add-on services and related service support products to the existing product instead of significantly redesigning it. We explore and investigate this assertion with an action-oriented case study using a research through design approach. Our research was done wi...

Radical innovations are designs that alter the meaning of our life experiences. In order to realize such innovation, a designer needs a vision, a strong personal view on the world. The identity and values of designers however, are often denied in modern design processes. Consequently, (junior) designers have difficulties in connecting with their va...

Since its introduction, Research through Design (RtD) has taken on a wide variety of forms. Currently, there is a lack of clarity about what connects and separates different RtD approaches. Several attempts have been made to clarify these matters, often in the form of a top-down categorization. Here we start on a different path, one that is open fo...

Identity development of design students is a dynamic entanglement between personal and professional identities. Yet, literature primarily focuses on professional identity, based on institutionalized definitions of design to which students must conform. In contrast, we explore personal motivations for wanting to become a designer. An instrumental ca...

In Design-Driven Innovation (D-DI) the meaning of a product or service is radically innovated to introduce a new paradigm that ideally can benefit people, companies, and society as a whole. However, due to the associated risks, most companies are hesitant to engage with and adopt D-DI. Human Centered Design (HCD) is preferred while innovation is li...

This chapter aims to address one common perception of design thinking—its ambiguous nature and transferability from theory to practice. Here, it features three contextually rich case studies provided by leading academics in the field of design and service design. The broad range of cases goes some way to addressing the widely held misconception of...

Identity development of design students is a dynamic entanglement between personal and professional identities. Yet, literature primarily focuses on professional identity, based on institutionalized definitions of design to which students must conform. In contrast, we explore personal motivations for wanting to become a designer. An instrumental ca...

Since its introduction, Research through Design (RtD) has taken on a wide variety of forms. Currently, there is a lack of clarity about what connects and separates different RtD approaches. Several attempts have been made to clarify these matters, often in the form of a top-down categorization. Here we start on a different path, one that is open fo...

Within the third wave of digital service innovation, framing is becoming increasingly complex. Accordingly, design practice finds itself in a transition from designing single service solutions that are shared, to designing systemic solutions that are shareable. We report a case study in which we use Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) to ana...

In this paper we explore how to enrich design-driven innovation by considering the dynamic nature of such innovation as a result of history and evolution. Design-driven innovation takes distance from users in their current context, but instead proposes radical new meanings to users that address new potential needs. Here we look at how design-driven...

Collaborative network formation is necessary for the development of Product Service innovations used to address societal challenges. Initiation of collaborative networks requires the recognition and understanding of the interdependence necessary for sharing/creating knowledge, which in turn requires a high sense of trust. We report on an effectivel...

Societal challenges of today (e.g. aging) are complex and often require systemic solutions to be addressed. To address these challenges, various expertise and knowledge are required; in this sense, collaborative network projects have a lot of potential in offering a systemic solution. Design workshops (synchronous collaboration) are often used to a...

This paper explores a design case study in an industrial design classroom in which actors with diverse expertise were involved for the creation of Product Service System (PSS) innovation opportunities in societal contexts. By engaging diverse experts from different fields, the classroom was turned into a learning landscape through which the student...

Radical product and/or service innovation can ideally benefit all people and firms, and society as a whole, but pose risks in regards to technology-, industry chain-, market-, and project- uncertainty. In this paper we focus on addressing market uncertainty and argue that this uncertainty is affected by the meaningfulness of radical product and/or...

Engaging in knowledge building that is collaborative and that integrates design thinking among interdisciplinary teams is increasingly a means to innovate in product and service design and in business. However, the actual ways this might be accomplished are challenging. These questions are important ones for design educators, researchers and practi...

This paper presents a new direction of research in cultural computing: symbolic cultural heritage. The problem addressed is drawing on results from different disciplines: religion, sociology, design, and engineering sciences to create an interactive installation that enable visitors to experience deeply routed cultural dimensions. Based on seven Ch...

Purpose: Older adults may have trouble to stay socially connected because of technology barriers and ageing limitations. By combining subtle persuasive mechanisms with playful components to existing daily practices, the research aims at creating opportunities for older adults to adopt social media to engage in social activities with their peers. Th...

This paper analyses the current use of mobility means and evaluates an innovative mobility solution proposal that aimed to enable elderly people to participate in the local community in the Trynwâlden in the Netherlands. First, qualitative user research methods (interview and cultural probes) were used to understand the current user experience. A...

This paper explores a designerly approach to open innovation initiation as start of the PhD research of the third author. More specifically, it presents the application of co-reflection sessions by designers in a healthcare open innovation project to initiate multi-stakeholder participation. Integrating co-reflection in open innovation initiation p...

This paper reports research concerning video media spaces for the home and specifically the extent to which different approaches for video obfuscation can balance conflicting requirements for awareness between connected individuals and privacy. Different filtering techniques were compared regarding the ability of observers to make inferences regard...