About the project

The PhD-project [designing innovation] investigates the ways professional designers work and how design influence innovation processes. The project is part of the larger research project D-side. The aim of this study is to develop a more consistent understanding among professional designers of the contribution from design knowledge. The study takes up what type of design abilities provide better working conditions for development of innovations in product development.

Central research questions: How do design related activities benefit the innovation process? What kinds of design competences are essential in order to enhance innovation activity?

Central for this study is: innovation theory, design knowledge, design driven innovation, design strategy, ‘design thinking’, and design management.

In this study several research methods are applied. These methods spans from ethnography and engagement in design activity in commercial industrial partners of D·side, to observation of student experiments throughout a semester in a master course in design, an further to semi-structured interviews with professional designers.

This PhD research fellowship is funded by the Oslo School of Architecture and Design, AHO. This position partner with the larger research project D·side, funded by the Norwegian Research Council (NFR), as a BIA program.

Publications:

Røise, Øivind. (2011). ‘Situating situation-based-design- the integration of prototyping to change the scope of design competence’, in Proceedings of 13th International Conference on Engineering and Product Design Education.

Internal supervisor: Prof. Håkan Edeholt.