Authentic Evaluation of Radical Innovations: A Conceptual Framework

ABSTRACT The concept of authenticity is discussed in the literature regarding product design through the perspectives of users and designers (Liao & Ma, 2009; Kristav, 2016) along with others that evaluate the phenomena through discussions on user experiences (Reisinger & Steiner, 2006). Several studies describe authenticity as a concept that mostly appears in initial examples of product contexts (Kristav, 2016). These products, which represent a starting point, are named as radically innovative products in design literature (Verganti, 2009). Design-driven innovations result in changes in the meanings of the products; radical changes in product meanings can occur through merger of existing product contexts (Norman & Verganti, 2014-b). Therefore, users can have expectancies related to their experiences on the merged product contexts. Analysis of these expectancies can be important at the initiation of design-driven radical innovations, their fulfilments can have role in product adoption (Desmet & Hekkert, 2007; Hassenzahl, 2005). In this study, the effects of authentic expectations on radical innovations and their evaluations will be discussed in theoretical basis through the studies in the literature, to provide a conceptual framework on the subject.