Metaphors as Method for Design Driven Radical Innovation Based on Verganti's Notion of Meaning Change

The purpose of this study is to investigate the phenomenon of radical design-driven innovation through a change in the meaning of products and services within the field of industrial design. This study attempts to modify Verganti and Norman's (2012) approach to illustrate and operationalize a structured method of investigation, and provides evidence from user research to develop a more predictable radical innovative concept. The paper presents findings from a study that uses metaphorical concepts as a design tool to reveal users' experiences and the product and service's meanings. The results suggest that the positive and negative attributes of the metaphors are perceived to be the salient meaning of the product or service. This offers a strategy of developing a radical innovative concept, which consists of provoking the existing meaning and sociocultural context of the product or service in an agreeable manner that will enhance the positive attributes and improve the negatives. The results further suggest the possibility of changing the existing meaning through the process of abductive thinking. The study presents an inexpensive and effective solution to uncover the current salient meaning, a new approach to develop a meaning, and a new way to see how radical innovation influences/causes meaning change, as well as provoking a cultural shift.;Keywords: Radical innovation, metaphors, design methodology, meaning-change.