Incremental Innovation: Long-Term Impetus for Design Business Creativity

Abstract

In business, innovation thinking is expanding beyond product innovation, and it is being marketed as a catalyst for unique user experiences, businesses, and organizational and cultural change. Product design and design-driven business operations require an innovative mindset. In this study, we examined how progressive innovation thinking can be applied to three aspects using a combination of case studies: idea genesis, process, and decision making. We also examined thinking studies from relevant companies to investigate how to create user-pleasing experiences and details in products and to develop a framework for progressive innovation thinking strategies and implementation methods for designers. Our findings will help designers and corporate design teams find a steady flow direction in the execution of their design business, capture the first moments of brilliance and replicate ideas, generate a constant stream of creative ideas, maintain a constant flow of innovation in their design business, and enhance the overall business capability of the design team. This framework has academic and business ramifications: it can provide guidance and ideas to other design teams looking to execute their design business and act as a reference for adopting progressive, original thinking work and creative businesses.

1. Introduction

Before innovation can begin, the level of innovation of the design proposition should be defined; then, the proper diffusion method is chosen. Innovation can be incremental or radical [1]; innovation is not always spectacular [2]. Change in a market or corporation usually comes from small, steady stages [3]. This technique, known as incremental innovation, is no less critical than disruptive innovation [4]. Of innovation, 98% is incremental, but we rarely hear about it as mostly digital disruptors and category designers are featured in the news. Growing consumer desire for new products and better results drives new product releases, argued Clayton Christensen [5]. Incremental innovation is more common and meaningful to our lives than radical innovation [6]. Incremental innovation is not a side problem: the design iterations of many online products are incremental [7]. Effective incremental innovation can improve enjoyment [8]. The product that satisfies users is the sum of every incremental innovation stacked on top of each other.

Understanding the many sorts of innovation in design content can help designers more organically evaluate consumers, technology, and markets, allowing the designer to choose the best creative strategy and think holistically about the worthwhile angles and depths of dispersion [9,10]. Due to time restrictions and the cost of technology, designers may be forced to create incremental innovation propositions without judging the sort of innovation, relying on technology that is not yet ideal or focusing on a scenario that cannot be achieved in the short term [11]. Not only does this innovation fail to make sense for the challenge at hand, but it can also be a time and energy drain on the team.

Our objective in this study was to research how to apply incremental innovation thinking to the three components of design: business concept initiation, process, and decision making, together with case studies, to investigate how to produce user-friendly experiences and details in products and to establish appropriate progressive innovation thinking and specific methods for designers. Our findings will assist designers in maintaining a steady flow of innovation in their design business and enhance the design team’s overall business competence.

2. Literature Review

The two primary types of innovation are incremental and radical [12]. Innovation covers the invention of new products and services and changes to sociocultural systems, business models, and organizational procedures [13,14]. Most of the conversation in the field has focused on the tactics and tools used by firms to innovate and create a natural effect for businesses and customers [15,16,17]. User- and human-centered design, systematic creativity, and blue ocean methods are popular [18,19]. In incremental innovation, existing product concepts or technologies are modified [20,21,22].

Norman and Verganti introduced another dimension to the discussion in their study on incremental and radical innovation [23] (see

Table 1. Incremental vs. radical innovation.

Radical Innovation	Incremental Innovation
Explores new technology [23]	Exploits existing technology [23]
High uncertainty [12]	Low uncertainty [12]
Focuses on products, processes, or services with unprecedented performance feature [20]	Focuses on cost or feature improvements in existing processes, products, or services [20]
Creates a dramatic change that transforms existing markets or industries, or creates new ones [24]	Improves competitiveness within current markets or industries [22]

). They discussed the differences between the two main types of innovation. Meaning and technological change determine the level of innovation. Their primary argument was that human-centered design is an effective method for gradual improvement [23]. In contrast, radical innovation can be produced through substantial technology transformations and technological epiphanies [24].

Incremental innovation is also called sustainable innovation [24]. Incremental innovation is the gradual design of and continuous improvement in an organization’s existing concepts, products, or services. It is the most common micro innovation [25,26]. In incremental innovation, new technologies are rarely used. It focuses on eliminating flaws and incrementally enhancing performance through characteristics such as product line extension, cost reduction, and the next generation of products. This innovation is short-lived and has minimal technological advancement and market impact [27]. Periodic iterations of software or services with micro innovations make new versions superior to older ones and meet more user needs [28]. Conversely, radical innovation uses revolutionary technologies and unique commercial structures to solve problems [29]. Incremental innovation improves product development efficiency, productivity, and competitiveness [30]. Many companies employ incremental innovation to maintain or boost product sales [31]. In the consumer technology business, incremental innovation is used to develop gadgets with customer-friendly features.

Radical innovation involves the design of a breakthrough product that provides clients with extraordinary performance or considerable cost reductions and can reorganize customer–supplier relationships, displace present product leaders, create new product categories, and alter existing industries [32]. Norman and Verganti explained their model through the video game industry, showing how Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo have innovated in different ways along the axis of technology while intending to compete in the marketplace [23] (see Figure 1). Using their model, they showed how Sony and Microsoft have focused on technological change, introducing powerful processors and enhanced graphics to dominate the industry [23]. As high-speed internet became possible, they migrated to multiplayer gaming. Nintendo used new sensor technology, accelerometers, and infrared imaging to change what gaming meant for the Wii, from focusing on gaming experts and teenagers to games for everyone, controlled by body movements [33]. Ultimately, this revolutionized the video game industry, leaving Sony and Microsoft to develop new competing solutions, such as Microsoft’s Kinect [34]. Radical innovations often differ from existing practices and include many new technologies that enable them to exceed the capacities of existing products, provide substantially enhanced customer benefits, and drive fundamental changes in consumer behavior [35].

Incremental innovation is similar to being on a mountain and trying to reach the top [36]. Conversely, radical innovation is like jumping onto a new mountain and hoping it is higher than the one currently in place [36]. Radical innovations rarely live up to their potential when they are first introduced [37]. At first, they are often challenging to use, expensive, and have limited capabilities. Incremental innovation is more cost effective, transforming radical ideas into a form that is accessible to people beyond early adopters [38]. Incremental innovation is the primary form of innovation, focused on improving solutions within a given framework [39]. Radical innovation, conversely, focuses on changing the framework of a solution, introducing a new paradigm, and creating the potential for notable market change [39]. Whereas most of the discussion on innovation has focused on radical innovation, such initiatives have a 96% failure rate [40]. Innovative radicalism is risky. Because it builds on an existing product, service, or process, incremental innovation is commonly viewed as safer and more secure [41]. Verganti stated that a product’s meaning is an essential component in incremental innovation [42]. The conventional view is that innovation is driven by technology, but the reality is that most innovation consists of small, incremental changes with occasional giant, radical leaps. Norman stated that user-centered design benefits incremental innovation but not radical transformations [43]. We summarize a few examples from Norman [43]:

Market-pull innovation: any user-centered design approach.

Technology-driven innovation: the introduction of the color television, Xerox copier, and the electronic calculator.

Meaning-driven innovation: the transformation of the watch from a tool to a fashion accessory and the invention of the miniskirt in the 1960s as a symbol of women’s independence.

Technology epiphany: the Wii is using new technology to change the space for video games.

User-centered design is an approach in which designers prioritize the needs of system users. Norman argued that market-pull innovation surpasses user-centered design. In addition, we summarize three principles of user-centered innovation [44]:

(1)

focusing on people and their context to create something that works for them.

(2)

understanding and resolving the correct issue, the underlying cause, and the root problem. Otherwise, problems will continue to return.

(3)

all things are systems: consider the world as an interconnected system.

According to Norman and Verganti, market-pull innovation is safer and more conducive to the company’s long-term growth [45]. Notably, technological breakthroughs are risky because user demand resists these changes. That the company will be capable of long-term expansion cannot be assured.

3. Methods

To achieve the set goals, help designers better understand user needs, receive a constant stream of ideas, continuously innovate, and improve the products, in this study, we used Norman’s progressive innovation and human-centered design thinking as the theoretical basis and analyzed the cases and data of Apple and other related brands. We identified the benefits and importance of using progressive innovation thinking for design creativity. We aimed to study the advantages of user-centered design and discussed them by looking at three aspects:

(1)

the initiation strategy of incremental innovation.

(2)

the process of incremental innovation.

(3)

the decision making for incremental innovation.

We meticulously explained and analyzed each aspect with actual cases, considering the user’s needs, complaints, and preferences at the forefront at each stage of the process. We also determined, in detail, how designers can use incremental innovation thinking to find the direction of innovation and methods to sustain a constant flow of ideas in the design business and to design incremental innovation strategies and frameworks that are appropriate for the design teams working on their business. It enables designers to create products and services that resonate and are tailored to the needs of their audiences.

4. Case Study

4.1. Apple’s Incremental Innovation Strategy

Changes implemented through incremental innovation frequently focus on improving the development, efficiency, productivity, and competitive differentiation of existing products [46] (see Figure 2). The design begins with examining existing markets or products to identify opportunities to improve their appearance or functionality. Staying ahead of the curve is critical for market leaders because design can be used to attract new user groups or differentiate products by making them easier to use. We considered our familiar mobile phone products as an example (see Figure 2). The iPhone, which debuted in 2007, was the first capacitive screen mobile phone to offer finger touch operation, ending the previous era in which mobile phones required a keypad or stylus to function and establishing the smartphone operating experience for more than a decade [47]. In addition, mobile phones with less concealed content on the screen have been explored in recent years, featured by changes such as the removal of the home button, the use of a bangs screen, water drop screen, and full screen. These all underscore the experience and look of progressive innovation [48].

Apple has been a corporation committed to groundbreaking innovation. Apple’s Macintosh, iPad, iPhone, and iTunes have revolutionized the business and created new categories [49]. Apple has positioned itself as a firm that develops goods for its users under Steve Jobs’ leadership [50]. A recent article in Fast Company quoted an Apple employee saying, “We do not waste time asking users; we build our brand by creating great products that people love”. This suggests that Apple will show consumers the way through its innovative products and services and has moved toward an incremental approach to innovation, adopting a more user-centric attitude [51,52,53] (see Figure 3).

New iPhones have not provided significant technology advances in the last two years. Screen, camera, and critical functionalities are provided [54]. The NFC chip in the new phones is the most notable feature [55]. The integration of the NFC chips shows Apple’s gradual change [56]: 18% of smartphones have an NFC chip. For NFC chips, early adopters (13.2%) have given way to pragmatists (34%), showing that the NFC chip is ready for broad use [57].

Apple has not implemented an NFC chip into its mobile devices but has announced Passbook and Touch ID as payment options. Apple Pay’s introduction involved partnerships with Visa, MasterCard, AMEX, central banks, and 220,000 retailers, indicating that Apple was waiting to offer the service on its own [58,59]. This gradual invention has enormous promise. Apple’s massive and well-established payment infrastructure addresses various mobile payment concerns (acceptance, security, and seamlessness). Apple Watch is another current innovation. Gartner said that wearables are overhyped and not ready for mainstream adoption [60] (see Figure 4); however, all the major tech companies had already produced smartwatches with similar technologies long before Apple.

Apple’s watch may signify a paradigm shift in the market. According to the concept of incremental innovation, Apple’s intention to integrate payment functionalities and various designs into the watch (again indicating a user-centric approach) may be interpreted as a shift in meaning, as it taps into a potentially new audience and functionality for smartwatches. This is meaning-driven innovation, which can lead to new market opportunities and expansion. This is not a radical invention because it does not revolutionize technology. Apple’s new products and services boost growth. It is also a shift in Apple’s strategy, emphasizing incremental innovation and people-centered solutions above creating new markets and sectors.

Apple’s culture of innovation has contributed to the evolution of iPhone models over the years. The alignment between innovation strategy, corporate culture, and internal company structures ensures the deployment of human capital in support of the organization’s strategic objectives. This has encouraged inventiveness in the technical design of each iPhone model upgrade [61]. Apple’s culture of innovation in designing the iPhone comprises three essential elements: organizational structure, leadership traits, and a customer-centric attitudes [62].

Apple combines a dual customer-centric strategy: internal discussions on how to enhance the customer experience. They have listened to customers at multiple touchpoints and adjusted based on their input. Of iPhone users, 83.4% say they will purchase the next iPhone [63]. Apple is strongly focused on enriching people’s daily lives and, therefore, continues to strategically listen to its customers [64]. This strategy entails developing products that incorporate people’s needs; Apple uses this strategy when designing the iPhone, beginning with the customer experience, and working backward to determine how to provide those experiences with technology.

Apple collects feedback through various means, including market research, sending survey emails to customers after store purchases, customer satisfaction ratings, and considering social media reviews of products and services. In addition, Apple uses over 28 customer service call centers in the United States—with over 19,000 employees ensuring quality assistance—to survey customers about their experience [65]. Cumulatively, this emphasis has driven companies to find new ways of improving their products, identifying new features that meet customer needs, imagining new customer benefits through the development of newer models, and working on resolving previous technical issues and generating innovative solutions [66].

We present two examples of Apple’s dedication to the customer experience regarding technical design. First, the iPhone’s camera has been upgraded since 2007 with high-range imaging, true-color flash, optical stabilization, a dual-lens camera, portrait mode, portrait lighting, and night mode to help consumers take cleaner, better photos [67]. The second is the iPhone 13, which offers consumer-focused features such as 5G, a better camera, and longer battery life. In response to the limitations of the iPhone 12, the iPhone 13 was designed to better support 5G networks, have a longer-lasting battery, and have more extended video playback (28 h, in this case, the longest of all iPhone models). In addition, the iPhone ownership installment structure was reduced by 8% to 26% compared with that of the iPhone 12. iOS 15 was designed to help users reduce distractions, find focus, remain connected, explore the world, and share real-time experiences [68].

Although incremental innovation does not create new markets and typically does not use entirely new technologies, it can attract multiple customers because it satisfies customer needs identified through their actions or feedback. The product or service will appeal to a larger mainstream market if the designer can offer the same functionality and value at a lower price.

4.2. Benefits of Incremental Creative Thinking

The incremental innovation strategy is more attractive than other types of innovation due to its long-term benefits. Maintaining relevance and retaining customers are additional advantages of achieving long-term strategic growth. Instead of discarding an existing product and developing a new competitive one, it prolongs the company’s existence in the marketplace. The most prudent course of action is to invest in R&D and regularly release a small number of product enhancements. A product’s new features allow it to retain customer interest and lengthen the company’s life through strategic growth prospects. The true advantage of this innovation process is that design begins with the need, not the solution [69]. If designers build a big idea as needed, then incremental innovation follows. Through continuous improvement, products can be made smaller, more user-friendly, or more appealing without compromising their core functionality, and services can be made more efficient. These modest and straightforward measures include iteratively performing work and not rushing to fix a product. Simple and straightforward interventions can be tried and learned one at a time; this way, the outcomes will gradually improve. Project proposals are continuously prototyped, tested, and enhanced to ensure that the solution meets user needs.

The three advantages of using an incremental innovation design process are:

• Maintaining competitiveness: Every product of the next generation must be competitive; this is a necessity. To continue competing with the previous generation, the product must evolve.
• Ideas are more readily available to the market: when offering a recognizable product to an established market, communicating and selling innovative concepts are easier.
• Affordability: The process of incremental innovation makes development afford-able. Products can be more affordably improved.

Lucent Technologies focuses on user requirements and prioritizes people. Eco-design principles have been applied to their strategic business decisions, product evolution planning, and product development. This strategy has allowed Mobility Solutions to meet increasingly stringent legal and environmental requirements based on customer products and growing public concern regarding the environmental impact of electronic devices [70]. The Elevate line by Joseph is an example of a novel adaptation of an existing design. They have built an empire on the back of innovative but well-designed kitchenware. Their adaptation of commonplace kitchen appliances has created an innovative new product and an entire collection. Samsung’s new Bouroullec Serif TV adds a new layer of appeal to an existing product by transforming an ordinary flat-screen TV into a piece of furniture.

Some ongoing innovations are year-to-year improvements that all companies strive to achieve. Other constant innovations are breakthroughs that outperform the products of competitors. The goal of incremental innovation is to improve a good product. It involves enhancing the marketability of an existing product, typically by addressing a specific customer complaint. Suppose a company has a product that is well liked by consumers, but complaints have been received about the design. In this instance, the company’s design team will require incremental innovation to enhance the product’s design and user experience. User-centered innovation is essential because if the customer is unsatisfied, the innovation will fail, and the customer will reject the product [71].

A user-centric approach to innovation can lead to the development of products that more strongly resonate with audiences, fostering engagement and growth; consider the recent success of design-driven businesses such as Warby Parker, Fab, Airbnb, and Pinterest. Recent years have also witnessed digital behemoths such as Google, eBay, and LinkedIn invest in the design of more unified and sophisticated user experiences. Customers are the most important asset in business history. Every business should have a foothold in the marketplace by satisfying the needs of its customers. According to Michael LeBoeuf, “the best business strategy is a satisfied customer” [72].

User-centered design, with its emphasis on iterative observation, ideation, and testing, lends itself well to incremental innovation and is unlikely to result in radical innovation. The source of radical innovation is a shift in technology or meaning. Frequently, engineers and scientific inventors are the sources of technologically driven innovation. Conversely, meaning-driven innovation is more likely driven by design research, which helps to extend the product, service, and business life cycles and boost profitability. User-centered designs differ from other problem-solving approaches in that they focus on understanding the perspectives of the people who encounter the problem, their needs, and whether the solutions designed for them effectively meet those needs. In the most compelling cases, the people who encounter the problem are often a regular part of the design process and, where possible, become part of the design team.

5. Discussion

The creative process is a series of steps a designer takes to complete his project to get from an idea to the final product, refining his innovative concept through each step to obtain the best solution, so this is a guideline that helps designers structure the creative process of their designs without deviating from the path, ensuring they dig deeper into each idea to find the best solution for their project [73,74]. The creative process is generally structured as follows:

Preparation: find and define the problem that will be solved.

Incubation: stimulate ideas by collecting pieces of information, references, and inspirations.

Divergence: opening and transforming ideas into new ones.

Convergence: check and validate solutions.

To sustain innovation, designers need to stay inspired. Innovation is an indispensable tool for giving businesses a competitive edge. However, innovation alone is insufficient: innovations that adhere to sustainability principles are much more critical to develop [75]. To aid designers in comprehending incremental innovation and gaining insight into user requirements so that they can continuously innovate and enhance their products, we examined the initiation, process, and decision-making perspectives. We developed a methodological framework for incremental innovation thinking strategies and implementation to assist designers in obtaining a constant flow of ideas for better product innovation in executing business processes, creating better user experiences, and delivering user-satisfying product details. This allows businesses to achieve long-term growth and benefits.

5.1. Initiation of Incremental Innovation

Initiation helps understand the context and need for innovation. Incremental innovations address a specific issue and have a simple proposition and need. Outstanding incremental claims are visible, unambiguous, and dispersible [76]. Sometimes reluctance is encountered in communicating and transmitting it because of extensive descriptions, being too specific, general semantics, or abstract and imprecise language [77]. We discuss two methods to help designers focus on the proposition.

5.2. Clear Examination and SMART Principles

When working on a commercial project, a designer may need to consider multiple needs. Regulating is a complex and time-consuming task. It may be the outcome of top-down direction or shared planning and discussion between departments, coupled with participant comprehension. This message may change during transmission. Before reaching the project designer, the proposal may have created confusion and inconsistencies. Therefore, the topic must be extensively confirmed and researched. Four steps are needed to thoroughly examine the topic:

• Communicate a comprehension of the needs and engage the appropriate people in synchronization and discussion.
• The designer verifies that everyone is on the same page by reviewing what is understood.
• Graphically communicate by using sketches or pertinent case illustrations to reduce the possibility of misinterpretation.
• Document what has been agreed upon so that the document can be cross-referenced and later initiated.

The SMART approach is used to identify the substance of specific demand targets (see Figure 5). SMART helps guide goal and objective setting for enhanced outcomes in project management, employee performance management, and personal development [78]. George T. Doran invented the term in Management Review in 1981 [79]. The abbreviation SMART stands for specific, measurable, achievable (or reachable), relevant, and time bound. It is a powerful tool for achieving goals by providing clarity, focus, and motivation [80]. It can also help designers reach their goals by encouraging them to define them and establish completion dates [81]. SMART is a best practice framework for goal setting [82]. Using the SMART approach, designers may quickly grasp the fundamentals of a project, create goals, and complete the project on schedule. Setting a SMART target will help the design team understand exactly what they need to accomplish (and when) to reach the intended outcome. Creating a perfect product does not happen overnight, and SMART goals set measurable standards so designers can see their work progress. They provide achievable benchmarks that allow designers to follow up promptly and keep creative work evolving.

For instance, if the primary aim of a project is to increase the conversion rate of users in a process to 70%, more users must use the feature and their readiness to purchase must grow. The process design involves a total of five steps. The need will have a one-week timeline and no operating capital requirements. Based on the platform’s existing technology, it can be invested in one product, one interaction, one visual workforce, and three development workforces.

5.3. Propositional Focus and Concrete Substitution for Abstraction

If a designer faces a highly technical yet semantically unclear demand when working on a project, the designer should rethink the proposal, remove the packaging, and make abstract terms realistic. If the needs are ambiguous, the sponsor should be consulted and bold assertions made, using careful evidence to understand the situation. Neutral terminology should be replaced with figurative language to emphasize the argument and goal [83]. Examples and inquiries should be used to help identify project requirements. Ambiguous language such as “better user experience” should be replaced with the terms “more efficient” and “entertaining” as “better user experience” translates into “more efficient” and “more engaging”.

6. Process of Incremental Innovation

When the beginning point is clear and focused, the next stage is to produce ideas. In this process, whether solitary thinking or team brainstorming, adherence is required to three guidelines:

• There are no close calls. All thoughts must be recorded because many concepts that originally appear unfeasible or unsophisticated might transform into great concepts when they collide or are analyzed.
• Quantity surpasses quality. Obstacles and bottlenecks may arise when ideas evolve, so ideas must be continually developed without settling for the ones that already exist.
• No criticism, no stifling. Any possibilities should not be denied during the idea development phase so that the team or individual can feel safe to develop.

6.1. Persona and Canvas Empathy Map

After sorting and analyzing scenarios and theories, we recommend four efficient diversion tactics when incrementally innovating to help designers diverge their thoughts. A designer’s intended audience for innovation and design is usually other people. Identifying a core user or a mix of core user traits helps establish one or more core users who are indicative of the target audience. This includes monitoring their lives, considering the design of what a person wants, comparing their current products and solutions, and assessing what the invention means. The Persona and Canvas Empathy Map can be used to understand user behavior and psychology [84,85].

Persona (see Figure 6) can be used to help establish the personal characteristics of the key users and the desired goals in a scenario [86]. For example, when completing a travel and tourism product, Persona helps with thinking about the core user and performing a cascade of information and values.

(1)

Consider this virtual persona a genuine user and accordingly enhance the essential information: age, gender, nation, region of residence, profession, marital status, hobbies, leisure time, life experience, perspective, etc. The individual may have a penchant for vacation destinations distinct from their original typical habitat. Their age and status may influence when and with whom they travel: a minor is more likely to travel with their family during the summer and winter holidays, whereas a white-collar professional may take time off during holidays or off-season to travel with their partner or closest friend.

(2)

Profiling interests, influences, and goals for more profound discovery are based on the above basic information. If a person likes music, they may want to visit a local live music establishment; if they like history, they may want to walk around the monuments. Their influence may help to motivate the strategy; perhaps many friends or fans are waiting for their journey to be shared on social networks. What are their goals for the trip? They may want to relax with friends and have a slow-paced experience, or they may want to visit the famous sites and fill their schedule.

(3)

Determine their wants, expectations, motivations, and criticisms. The person may be searching for a product that merges travel options and accommodations with a coherent strategy and efficiency, encouraging and allowing them to organize without excessive effort. They may be interested in a product that allows them to visit whenever they want, bringing them niche spots to explore nearby so that they and their friends can freely and romantically explore, taking many pictures to remember and share.

The previous examples show that listening to a user’s needs can produce a dynamic image. Identifying one or two user complaints and unsatisfied regions can lead to substantial product enhancements. The designers can use empathy maps to experience user behaviors, thoughts, and feelings [87], and to consider user goals, complaints, and gains, which is known as user-validated designer assumptions. Empathy maps help designers generate hypotheses, empathize, and uncover complaints and values. Here, we take a working woman commuting to work as an example in Figure 7.

Designers can experience and analyze a user’s perspective by digging deeper, making assumptions, and substituting. Unresolved user problems, complaints, and potential points can lead to incremental product innovation advancements.

Several modifications to Airbnb’s recently revised product experience have been based on customer observations from booking a property (see Figure 8). Even if users had a flexible schedule, they had to find postings by a specific day, which prompted them to constantly experiment with date combinations. The flexible date tool allows customers to select accommodation based on a vague date (e.g., July) and length of vacation (e.g., one week), allowing them to organize their travel based on their chosen properties.

When traveling, many customers desire unique experiences, such as staying in a house with a view of the northern lights, a tree house with a unique shape, or a house in the desert. Airbnb has developed a flexible matching function that uses machine learning to categorize properties into 56 tag categories, such as spectacle, camping, and skiing, enabling users to rapidly filter experiences based on their individual tastes.

“Whom are we designing for?” is an important question during the creative design process. Understanding the actual problem and the individuals facing it is necessary to develop practical solutions. Persona is a tool that assists in evaluating all these attributes and creating a model of the product’s target audience [88]. Surveys and research are utilized to assist designers in determining all these points [89]. This foundation model enables designers to create activities, actions, and products more likely to be popular with users. The Canvas Empathy Map provides a more extensive depiction of personas, intending to understand their feelings, desires, thoughts, and views about the product. As a result, “personas” and “Canvas Empathy Map” are inextricably linked. Both methodologies enable designers and teams to understand their users’ demands better and craft the most effective solutions.

6.2. Modularization and SCAMPER

In business, generating new product or service ideas is essential. It can help businesses remain competitive and keep users satisfied. However, generating new concepts when focusing on existing products can be challenging. SCAMPER is a straightforward tool for divergent thinking, providing a quick, simple, and straightforward method for creative brainstorming [90] (see Figure 9). Different perspectives on an existing product, service, or situation help designers innovate. Encouraging designers to consider methods of improving existing products and services generates ideas and increases productivity for new products and services; it guides designers through generating many original ideas and then selecting and implementing the most promising ones.

When the generated content has several sections and components, designers can partition and modularize the content before reorganizing it. Each collection of interface elements and product structures can be subdivided at each level. SCAMPER can be used to create scenarios and effects once modules are separated. SCAMPER is a divergent thinking-based creative tool [91]. The seven letters of the acronym represent seven creative concepts: substitute, combine, adapt, modify, put to other use, eliminate, and rearrange. The following types of questions are asked when using this tool:

Substitute: what elements of this product or service can we replace?

Combine: how can we combine this with other products or services?

Adapt: what ideas can we change or adapt elsewhere?

Modify: how can we add significantly or subtract significantly from any part of it?

Put to other use: what different uses can we put our product to?

Eliminate: what elements of the product or service can be eliminated?

Rearrange or Reverse: How can we rearrange the product or reverse the process?

Taking McDonalds as an example, identifying some of the ideas used in the SCAMPER approach is easy [92].

Put to other uses: sell restaurants and real estate, not just hamburgers.

Eliminate: let customers serve themselves, thus avoiding using expensive servers.

Rearrange: let customers pay before they eat.

Creative thinking and problem solving are essential to the design process, turning ideas into innovations and breaking down barriers to creativity [93]. The SCAMPER approach is one of the most basic methods for thinking creatively and solving problems by combining different strategies or problem kinds [94]. This holistic approach to problem solving assists designers in making the best decisions possible, fostering innovation and creativity. Although there are several creative thinking and problem-solving approaches used in the design process, SCAMPER is regarded as one of the most clear and direct [95]. The SCAMPER approach is founded on the notion that something new is a modification of something old and already present around us, which is also consistent with the concept of gradual innovation.

We discussed SCAMPER module reorganization and usage by working backward from IOS system functionalities.

Substitute: For example, the user’s INCREASED desire for larger screens on smartphones has resulted in a year-over-year increase in the device’s overall size. The iPhone’s on-screen display area at the top and bottom HAS changed, and the hardware home key area was replaced with swipe-up gestures and the interface home key to meet the desire for a larger screen without increasing the phone’s total height or weight.

Combine: For example, each program on a mobile phone system cannot be individually operated to meet all user requirements. Some users desire the ability to talk with other friends while watching a movie, add pertinent information to their notes immediately after taking a photo or recording, etc. Through its support for split screens, floating windows, and other interaction frameworks, the IOS system enables the simultaneous or combined use of numerous apps through the concept of combination. This allows the originally supported app to be used in more scenarios.

Adapt: For example, the OCR photo-to-text capability has existed for a while, but it has few applications in the original photo market. Adaptation considers OCR technology as a module that can be adapted to more settings, expanding its value. When a user reads a physical book, they can take a photo to identify the content and extract it into their notes. When they see an ad and want to contact a number, they do not have to type it in, as they can pull out their camera, which recognizes the number and calls it. When they travel abroad, they only need to take a photo to translate the signboard, product information, and menu.

Modify: For example, the original mobile computer screen only supports adjusting the brightness, but scientific research and investigation have shown that exposure to blue light from the screen before bedtime and in dark environments may cause eye injury. The brightness adjustment cannot fully address these segmentation requirements. By changing the interface’s color and mode to include a dark mode, eye protection mode, etc., the screen’s color display can be tailored to the user’s preferences at different times.

Put to other uses: For example, phone applications, such as maps, feature a locating capability, and if the user loses their phone, they can use other electronic devices to locate it. However, how should other nonelectronic objects be recovered if they are lost? Apple has enabled the location capability to be used for other purposes, available as a separate Airtag accessory, enabling other goods without a location ability to be located by a phone. This meets the needs of users to locate additional items, animals, positions, etc.

Eliminate: For example, users who want to transfer pictures, music, videos, files, and other content between devices such as cell phones and computers, for instance, must use data cables or third-party software, which is inconvenient. iOS employs removing to quickly decrease the intermediate medium and Airdrop to transfer files across Bluetooth-enabled devices. After accessing the web page on a computer, users must copy and paste the link to the third-party program. Using the hands-off function to launch the browser, the user can open the web page to directly read the content.

Rearrange: For example, some users may want to obtain large amounts of information that they can visually view daily as soon as they open their phone: weather, time, news, hotlists, email, notes, words, stocks, etc. Originally, all this information would have had to be separately viewed in each app; now, users can quickly focus on the information they want with a single swipe on the desktop. This is a reorganization of the information and functions on the desktop to ensure more information and functions are displayed in the form of widgets.

6.3. Reverse Thinking: Principle, Function, and Structure

Reverse thinking has created many out-of-the-box ideas [96]. When following a straightforward design idea, reversing the problem or solution can often produce surprises, if not a clue. In this study, we summarized three reverse thinking types and specific innovative progress examples. These can be used as a list of ideas to expand the mind when creatively thinking.

Principle reversal: Involves thinking in the opposite direction of the principle of something. For example, content touching the hand and the hand touching the content. As the screen size of mobile phones increases, performing various functions with one hand becomes difficult [97]. Then, allowing the user to touch the phone screen from a greater distance becomes problematic. Instead of allowing users to reach the screen buttons and content with their hands, letting the content reach the hands is preferable so that the phone interface moves down half a screen/page indent as a whole to allow users to quickly trigger the required function using a one-handed operation.

Function reversal: Involves imagining novel approaches to problem solving from the opposite side of the function; for example, blocking the exterior and amplifying the interior. Typically, the design of headphones prioritizes sound insulation so that users can still hear the sound within the headphones in a noisy environment [98]. However, users also need to simultaneously listen to internal and external sounds. Air Pods have three distinct modes: noise reduction, off, and through mode. The headphones can function as a hearing aid, allowing users to amplify ambient sound while listening to device content. Users do not need to remove their headphones to communicate with the outside world; instead, they switch to listening mode while communicating.

Structural reversal: Involves reversing structures to develop new problem-solving solutions [99,100], and is characterized by a flexible structure, location, material, and kind [101], e.g., a flippable camera and user-facing laptop cameras. Smartphone rear cameras are vulnerable. Users require a rear-facing camera because regular laptops only have a front-facing camera. Some users want to record ZOOM meetings, and children want to use their notebooks to record content while shooting photographs of the PPT on the blackboard in class. ASUS designed the laptop front camera lens to swivel 240 degrees, facing the user by default and to the back when externally shooting. This design divides the lens and screen for indoor and outdoor photography and provides protection.

6.4. Borrowing from Other Areas of Thinking

Tom Freston, the cofounder of MTV, said “Innovation combines two existent things” [102]. This strategy can inspire gradual-innovation concepts. A solution can be applied to a similar problem in another field. The designer’s daily gathering of inspirations, materials, and product samples may spark these thoughts [103,104]. The designer’s inspiration library should be examined to achieve innovative breakthroughs; for example, browsing music and videos. Music fans like music videos, live concert footage, movies, and variety shows. Short films popularized the “swipe” gesture to magnify content. QQ Music APP promotes music and videos [105,106]. Swiping up allows users to add visual content such as music videos, and they can “swipe” to watch more videos. This design immerses listeners and encourages song-related videos and films, enhancing the music creation ecosystem.

7. Decision of Progressive Innovation

Innovation is not a goal in itself: it is a means to an end [107]. Therefore, when a design project yields numerous viable ideas, a difficult decision must be made. In this study, we summarized three techniques for sifting through many ideas and developing them to maturity, despite limited resources and time.

7.1. Structured Screening

We present three structured concept screening methodologies to quickly distinguish between a match and originality (see Figure 10). When faced with many new ideas, they are structured and screened for sorting after evaluating if the user is aligned with the current opportunity and situation before any solution modifications are produced. The structure incorporates convergence and filtering. In the creative process, the designer’s various ideas may exceed the initial progressive scope; at this point, whether the divergent ideas belong to progressive or radical innovation can be re-examined, first ensuring that they match current needs, another scope of consideration, and then allocating more resources to their implementation.

The following method incorporates the object of innovation into the screening procedure, as innovation is distinct from the product and the market customer (see Figure 11). This screening satisfies both requirements [108]. This screening method allows developers to decide which innovation to use.

Using the priority matrix, design teams can prioritize ideas by comparing the usefulness of each feature to the amount of effort needed to create it (see Figure 12). The priority matrix quadrants are essential and urgent, important but not urgent, urgent but not necessary, and unimportant and not urgent. When all concepts are entered into this matrix, which concepts are most critical and urgent for implementation and planning becomes clear. Notwithstanding their low return, those that are not vital or urgent can be neglected. Generally, a high return on investment (ROI) and high-priority concepts should be examined first [109].

7.2. Produce Prototypes and Iterate with Agilely

The process of idea dispersal can be confusing and only gradually becomes apparent in the process of deletion and iteration [110]. The process of advancing ideas involves making many mistakes, and trial and error with minimal cost is an excellent strategy to find, solve, and avoid problems [111]. Agile iterating can be used to quickly try, fail, and iterate, allowing testing with minimal cost to maximize efficiency. Many of the attempts that will be abandoned do not need to wait for the final design results to be selected and can be iteratively excluded at the sketch and prototype stage.

Interaction can be visually communicated and demonstrated with some prototypes. Some sketches or color cards can be used to understand the feeling; a foam board with the physical product prototype can also be used for communication [112]. In the prototype testing phase, the process of divergence and convergence is repeated to produce good ideas. The whole process can be divided into three phases:

(1)

Functional Prototype: test critical variables for the experience of crucial functions, create the minimum viable product (MVP), and then conduct intensive testing on potential users.

(2)

Finished Prototype: integrate the scattered functional prototypes so that users can experience the overall interaction for feedback.

(3)

Final Prototype: collect feedback and adjustments from previous prototypes and further refine them, usually with a high level of commitment and realization.

Because agile methodologies are based on the validation and iteration of user input, MVP is a user-centric development strategy and plays a central role in agile development. During the MVP prototype testing process (see Figure 13), the complete finished product should not be split into fragmented modules: the MVP needs to be the smallest unit that can be run [113].

7.3. Most Advanced Yet Acceptable

If resistance is encountered when choosing innovation and change, the idea cannot be abruptly abandoned: a less frictional technique of encouraging innovation should be investigated [114]. User habits and perceptions are hard to quickly change; therefore, the more mature the product, the smaller the improvements, which prevents backlash when adopting changes. Even sound decisions or simple tweaks require patience and eventual user acceptance, for instance, the interface redesign of the American e-commerce website eBay [115,116]. Early on, their website’s text was yellow, which was user unfriendly. They improved their brand by making the letters white. Thousands of emails questioned the decision and asked that the page be changed to yellow. eBay returned the site’s color to yellow and spent a year decreasing it by one level daily until it was white, and users stopped complaining. Therefore, rapid success is not the aim while designing and up-dating; winning acceptance for innovation is easier by respecting user modifications.

8. Conclusions

Human-centered design is a problem-solving strategy that places real people at the center of the development process, allowing designers to create products and services that resonate with and are tailored to the needs of their target audience. The objective is to prioritize user needs, complaints, and preferences at every stage of the process. In turn, designers can create more user-friendly, intuitive products that are likely to be more profitable, as customers who have reviewed the solution will be more engaged with its use. Incremental innovation thinking is an excellent method for human-centered, user-needs-focused design by designers. Incremental innovation focuses on continuously enhancing the product and delivering a pleasant experience. With incremental innovation, the design team is less vulnerable to risks than when attempting radical innovation. To continuously improve the quality of products and services, engaging in creative activities is still possible. Incremental innovation also helps the company in which the design team works to remain consistently competitive.

Users perceive the product’s growth when incremental innovation is coupled with continuous enhancement. The visibility of product iterations facilitates user feedback and suggestions, promoting an even more intense product design experience. Because radical innovation is frequently dependent on technological innovation, incremental innovation is more prevalent in everyday life. Subtle innovation is not a side issue; many daily iterations of innovation in internet product design are incremental. Not to be underestimated is the experience that can be improved by a practical incremental innovation, and the product that inspires the user is the sum of the superposition of each subtle innovation. In innovation, designers are an essential link between technology, business scenarios, and user experience. In incremental innovation, designers employ appropriate strategies to produce more remarkable breakthroughs. In this study, we applied the incremental innovation framework to idea generation, process, and decision-making aspects. We combined case studies to develop an incremental innovation methodology and framework that can help designers and corporate design teams more effectively and consistently innovate the execution of design businesses and product development. This framework can also enlighten designers and assist them in achieving more breakthroughs with incremental-innovation-based products.

In today’s competitive landscape, putting the customer at the heart of the business product and designing with the user’s needs in mind may be the most significant competitive advantage in business development. In this study, we applied the incremental innovation framework to the three steps of idea generation, process, and decision making. Each of these helps designers fully consider users’ needs and involve them in the design project process. During the design project, it is possible to see the creative development process visually and clearly and promptly identify and improve problems. This progressive innovation framework helps designers and corporate design teams innovate more effectively and consistently in the execution of design operations and product development. It takes less time and money than other innovation methods, makes it easier to identify and solve problems that arise throughout the project, and enables timely course adjustments. More significant results are achieved with the resources available. Moreover, because it is improving an existing product on the market, it faces fewer risks than creating something entirely new from scratch. It is easier to achieve the desired goal.

However, incremental innovation has its limitations, and affordability is essential to this strategy. Because it only improves existing products and services, businesses must have the necessary capital and resources to continue innovating. Introducing new enhancements is much simpler than convincing individuals to use untested products. Thus, incremental innovation benefits businesses with the necessary resources, and financial and human capital. Every year, they can release products with new or improved features, continuously refining and enhancing the user experience of their products and services and meeting the needs of their customers on an ongoing basis.

Consequently, startups and startup teams cannot benefit from incremental innovation thinking. Incremental innovation can deviate in many ways from its standard components and go astray, having some shortcomings that are difficult to overlook. The a priori knowledge of such constraints can facilitate planning actions to mitigate the consequences. Implementing innovation at the optimal time can be highly profitable, consequently generating greater profits when new competitors enter the market. However, it can fail if the concept and timing of its implementation are flawed. Financial constraints, a lack of customer insight, etc., can all impede the formulation of lucid objectives.

Incremental innovation typically entails unrestricted experimentation, rendering the entire process time consuming and labor intensive in the event of failure, wasting financial, human, and material resources, and deviating from the main product track while focusing on minor enhancements. In addition, the limitations of ineffective marketing and communication, improper planning, inadequate measurement, etc., are also of concern. The design team’s employer engages in incremental innovation daily or, in this case, with each innovation. It can feel monotonous and depressing, like a daily routine. The experience of incremental innovation is similar, but a deliberate and focused approach will substantially impact business products, and it does not produce disruptive or radical innovation with a single significant impact. However, it can significantly impact core business processes and objectives.

Although the incremental innovation thinking strategy developed in this study can assist designers in capturing early creative ideas and maintaining a steady stream of innovation as they move into business execution, its application is limited. To select innovative methods for a design project, designers must conduct market and user research and analysis. Not every design project is suitable for this strategy; ultimately, business goals determine the innovation method used.