Case study: Design value measuring by system dynamics

Abstract

The aim of the article is to show a way to measure the economic value of design using system dynamic modeling of key processes in an organization. The article fully accepts the complexity of the concept of design and opens up the possibility for employing system dynamics in design value measuring. The definition of design is given as an integral concept for which it is difficult to find a benchmark. The sequential explanatory method was chosen to solve the research problem. Qualitative data is collected first and it is recorded and examined. After that the data is transformed into numeric values and taken for quantitative evaluation in a system dynamic model. The connection of qualitative research data in a tool for quantitative evaluation allows an original interpretation of relationships that have been obtained and are collected only as qualitative data. Qualitative data collection is based on the visualization of a new definition of design: Design is an integration of functional, distribution, emotional and social experience of the customer. The questionnaire is in the form of Design Value Canvas and is used to determine the initial Design Value Algorithm (DVA) coefficient. As an external parameter, the DVA coefficient influences the development of the number of customers and their willingness to order the company’s products in the system dynamic model. The main result is the finding that an investment in design, which is confronted with customer preferences, fundamentally changes the economic parameters of business. Economic benefits of a design change in a company are always influenced by a strategic decision made by the entrepreneur who has to know the behaviour of their customers and to correctly choose the field of design in which it pays to invest. © 2021, Technical University of Liberec. All rights reserved.