Ten years prior to this paper, innovative mechanical products were analyzed and found to embody multiple innovation characteristics—an average of two more than competing products in the marketplace. At the time, it was not known whether these products would be successful over time and whether the number or type of innovation characteristics would be related with success. In this work, products from the previous study were categorized into well- and under-adopted products. Also, each product was categorized according to the type of firm that launched it: a new venture or an established firm. The innovative products enjoyed a success rate of 77% on average. The success was not dependent on the number or type of innovation characteristics embodied by the product. However, products developed in new ventures embody, on average, one more innovation characteristic and enjoy a slightly higher success rate than those launched by established firms.
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August 2018
Technical Briefs
The Characteristics of Innovative, Mechanical Products—10 Years Later
Katja Hölttä-Otto,
Katja Hölttä-Otto
Design Factory,
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
Aalto University,
Betonimiehenkuja 5,
Espoo 02210, Finland
e-mail: katja.holtta-otto@aalto.fi
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
Aalto University,
Betonimiehenkuja 5,
Espoo 02210, Finland
e-mail: katja.holtta-otto@aalto.fi
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Kevin Otto,
Kevin Otto
Fellow ASME
Design Factory,
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
Aalto University,
Betonimiehenkuja 5,
Espoo 02210, Finland
e-mail: kevin.otto@aalto.fi
Design Factory,
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
Aalto University,
Betonimiehenkuja 5,
Espoo 02210, Finland
e-mail: kevin.otto@aalto.fi
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Chaoyang Song,
Chaoyang Song
Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering,
Monash University,
Wellington Road,
Clayton VIC 3800, Australia
e-mail: chaoyang.song@monash.edu
Monash University,
Wellington Road,
Clayton VIC 3800, Australia
e-mail: chaoyang.song@monash.edu
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Jianxi Luo,
Jianxi Luo
Engineering Product Development Pillar,
Singapore University of Technology and Design,
8 Somapah Raod,
Singapore 487372
e-mail: luo@sutd.edu.sg
Singapore University of Technology and Design,
8 Somapah Raod,
Singapore 487372
e-mail: luo@sutd.edu.sg
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Timothy Li,
Timothy Li
Engineering Product Development Pillar,
Singapore University of Technology and Design,
8 Somapah Road,
Singapore 487372
e-mail: timothy.li@me.com
Singapore University of Technology and Design,
8 Somapah Road,
Singapore 487372
e-mail: timothy.li@me.com
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Carolyn C. Seepersad,
Carolyn C. Seepersad
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
University of Texas at Austin,
204 E. Dean Keeton Street,
Austin, TX 78712
e-mail: ccseepersad@mail.utexas.edu
University of Texas at Austin,
204 E. Dean Keeton Street,
Austin, TX 78712
e-mail: ccseepersad@mail.utexas.edu
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Warren Seering
Warren Seering
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
Massachusetts Institute of Technology,
77 Massachusetts Avenue,
Cambridge, MA 02139
e-mail: seering@mit.edu
Massachusetts Institute of Technology,
77 Massachusetts Avenue,
Cambridge, MA 02139
e-mail: seering@mit.edu
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Katja Hölttä-Otto
Design Factory,
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
Aalto University,
Betonimiehenkuja 5,
Espoo 02210, Finland
e-mail: katja.holtta-otto@aalto.fi
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
Aalto University,
Betonimiehenkuja 5,
Espoo 02210, Finland
e-mail: katja.holtta-otto@aalto.fi
Kevin Otto
Fellow ASME
Design Factory,
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
Aalto University,
Betonimiehenkuja 5,
Espoo 02210, Finland
e-mail: kevin.otto@aalto.fi
Design Factory,
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
Aalto University,
Betonimiehenkuja 5,
Espoo 02210, Finland
e-mail: kevin.otto@aalto.fi
Chaoyang Song
Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering,
Monash University,
Wellington Road,
Clayton VIC 3800, Australia
e-mail: chaoyang.song@monash.edu
Monash University,
Wellington Road,
Clayton VIC 3800, Australia
e-mail: chaoyang.song@monash.edu
Jianxi Luo
Engineering Product Development Pillar,
Singapore University of Technology and Design,
8 Somapah Raod,
Singapore 487372
e-mail: luo@sutd.edu.sg
Singapore University of Technology and Design,
8 Somapah Raod,
Singapore 487372
e-mail: luo@sutd.edu.sg
Timothy Li
Engineering Product Development Pillar,
Singapore University of Technology and Design,
8 Somapah Road,
Singapore 487372
e-mail: timothy.li@me.com
Singapore University of Technology and Design,
8 Somapah Road,
Singapore 487372
e-mail: timothy.li@me.com
Carolyn C. Seepersad
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
University of Texas at Austin,
204 E. Dean Keeton Street,
Austin, TX 78712
e-mail: ccseepersad@mail.utexas.edu
University of Texas at Austin,
204 E. Dean Keeton Street,
Austin, TX 78712
e-mail: ccseepersad@mail.utexas.edu
Warren Seering
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
Massachusetts Institute of Technology,
77 Massachusetts Avenue,
Cambridge, MA 02139
e-mail: seering@mit.edu
Massachusetts Institute of Technology,
77 Massachusetts Avenue,
Cambridge, MA 02139
e-mail: seering@mit.edu
1Corresponding author.
Contributed by the Design Theory and Methodology Committee of ASME for publication in the JOURNAL OF MECHANICAL DESIGN. Manuscript received November 6, 2017; final manuscript received March 20, 2018; published online May 28, 2018. Assoc. Editor: Irem Tumer.
J. Mech. Des. Aug 2018, 140(8): 084501 (8 pages)
Published Online: May 28, 2018
Article history
Received:
November 6, 2017
Revised:
March 20, 2018
Citation
Hölttä-Otto, K., Otto, K., Song, C., Luo, J., Li, T., Seepersad, C. C., and Seering, W. (May 28, 2018). "The Characteristics of Innovative, Mechanical Products—10 Years Later." ASME. J. Mech. Des. August 2018; 140(8): 084501. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4039851
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