Title: New tools for the early stages of eco-innovation: an evaluation of simplified TRIZ tools

Authors: Elies Dekoninck, David Harrison, Neville A. Stanton

Addresses: Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Bath, Bath BA2 7AY, UK. ' School of Engineering and Design, Brunel University, Uxbridge, Middlesex UB8 3PH, UK. ' School of Engineering and Design, Brunel University, Uxbridge, Middlesex UB8 3PH, UK

Abstract: Eco-innovation is a design approach for reducing the environmental impact of products, processes and services. It aims to decrease the environmental impact of products whilst maximising customer and business value. Integrating design-led environmental approaches at the earliest stages of product development is critical to their effectiveness. This paper reports on a controlled workshop experiment to test a structured method – TRIZ (the theory of inventive problem solving) – for enhancing eco-innovation, particularly in the early stages of team design. The quantitative and qualitative data suggest that TRIZ tools are not best suited to the team design activities at the earliest stages of innovation. The teams| outputs did include interesting new technology developments. The information provided to designers in early-stage workshops plays a bigger role than expected in innovation.

Keywords: controlled experiments; design information; early-stage workshops; early design stages; early innovation stages; eco-innovation; design teams; teamwork; TRIZ tools; environmental impact; theory of inventive problem solving; product design; product development; design process; design research.

DOI: 10.1504/JDR.2007.015566

Journal of Design Research, 2007 Vol.6 No.1/2, pp.122 - 141

Published online: 29 Oct 2007 *

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