Title: A TRIZ-based multi-route model for product-service system design innovation

Authors: Lujing Yang; Ke Xing; David Ness

Addresses: School of Engineering, University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes Campus, Adelaide, SA 5095, Australia ' School of Engineering, University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes Campus, Adelaide, SA 5095, Australia ' School of Natural and Built Environment, University of South Australia, City East Campus, Adelaide, SA 5001, Australia

Abstract: This paper proposes an integrated method for innovative product-service system (PSS) design based on the theory of inventive problem solving (TRIZ) methodology. Extant TRIZ-based approaches for PSS innovation are largely based on a single mode of solution development. They are limited to deal with only technical-contradiction problems either through direct use of the adapted inventive principles or by applying the contradiction matrix to solve conflicts with some simplified rules. By integrating multiple TRIZ tools, the proposed new method is capable of providing three different search routes and their combinations for generating innovative product-service solution concepts. In comparison with other similar TRIZ-based approaches, this method is more flexible and effective in solving problems of different natures, i.e., technical contradictions, physical contradictions, and non-contradictions, as well as their mixes. A real-life case study on a datacentre PSS design is presented at the end of this paper to illustrate the application of the new method.

Keywords: product-service systems; PSS design; innovation; TRIZ; problem solving; multi-route models; search routes; data centres.

DOI: 10.1504/JDR.2016.082028

Journal of Design Research, 2016 Vol.14 No.4, pp.326 - 367

Received: 11 Nov 2015
Accepted: 09 Oct 2016
Published online: 01 Feb 2017 *

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