An Agenda for Research on the Relationships between Industrial Design and Performance

Marina Candi, Gerda Gemser

This article proposes a research agenda for studying the relationships between industrial design and performance in the context of new product/service development. A review of existing research on relationships between industrial design and performance is used as a basis for identifying research opportunities and developing a research agenda. The research opportunities are derived from a number of important gaps in existing research on the relationships between industrial design and performance. These gaps include a lack of in-depth examination of the relationship between performance and industrial design emphasis, industrial design capabilities, industrial design outcomes and industrial design management. Much of the existing research is case research of a few design-conscious firms while large-scale quantitative research conducted in a broad range of firms and types of development projects is relatively scarce. Furthermore, there is a lack of comprehensive models that include moderating or mediating influences and feedback. This article provides an integrative perspective on the contribution of industrial design to performance. Such an integrative view is lacking in the literature and has caused a degree of fragmentation. Hence, the article is of particular value to researchers in this field and should contribute to increased cohesiveness in future research.