Constructing product narratives through design knowledge in new product development process: story of a new cordless stick vacuum cleaner in Arçelik Company

Abstract

In a changing and developing environment of production and consumption, needs, demands, expectations of consumers, and the practice of everyday life of people and consumers have been changing and evolving. Regarding these changes, product development, design, and communication processes have also been transforming to reach and get place in a growing and competitive market. In such context, to comprehend user expectations and creating innovative, functional, competitional products/services and reaching the potential consumer through value-added solutions, it is essential and crucial to integrate user experience research and consumer insights into new product development (NPD) processes. In this study, the main objective and framework has identified as; - to analyze and enhance approaches, methodologies, and strategies behind and beyond the products/services that presented consumers and markets; - to integrate the user insight into new product development, design and communication processes with the light of design knowledge, - to associate user experience studies and basis of communication narratives while involving, examining, and presenting ideal product design, development, and communication processes in the scope of small domestic appliances(SDA) category of Arçelik Company and the scope of the chosen product line 'cordless stick vacuum cleaner'. Main questions behind the conducted framework of the study, has generated as; - to understand aims and motivations behind the everyday products' features and to transmit these features for reaching their potential users or consumers; to show how can companies/designers develop value-added products that encounter changing lifestyles and expectations of users and consumers - to generate a relationship between user experience research, NPD process inputs and outputs and also communication materials in scope of company strategies - to integrate user-centered design and narrative methodology with user research for stimulating user interest via products/services. According to these directive questions, the study has consisted of four main sections. The first section of the study introduces research questions, the aim and scope of the study, the related literature review, and the methodology for the research content and analyzed data. To provide a basis for the study, the literature review section has based on four primary subject matter; user-centered and emotional design, product semantics, user experience (UX), and narrative approaches in product development and marketing processes. The second section of the study represents the new product development process and related implementations according to the strategies and decisions that consisted of inferences of the literature review section. In terms of reviewed literature, and the scope of company procedure, new product development process has explained with the chronological order to create basis and general knowledge about the project; this section begins with the definition and the history about the chosen product range 'Cordless Stick Vacuum Cleaner' and the explanation about needs and motivations for new product process. Then, according to these needs and motivations, researched literature, recent information and studies, for starting the new product development process, design brief has generated and proposed through the user experience research and consumer insight to define the scope, aims, and objectives of the project. Then the product design evaluation and development process, conducted user experience research for new developed product, and the examining phase of the research in the frame of thematic analysis methodology has been described in detail to create a basis for design stories through consumer insights. The third section of the study consists of describing brand strategies, determining target persona and story generation phase for the new developed product with the framework of the three brands of Arçelik Company. According to aim and scope of the study, the last section concludes, evaluates and describes whole development process and outputs which consist design briefing, product design and development and product communication phases in relation with user experience research and consumer insights; to examine strategies and approaches behind and beyond of new product development process, to generate and present value-added, functional, contemporary and memorable products or product features, and for achieving the potential consumers through these products or product features.