John Heskett was a pioneering British design historian, with a particular interest in design and economics. Design and the Creation of Value' publishes for the first time his groundbreaking seminar on design and economic value. In remarkably clear and accessible prose Heskett explores the how the key traditions of economic thought conceive of how value is created. Critically teasing out the role of design in this process, Heskett shows how design's role in innovating and creating value creating value for organisations and products can be given a firm grounding in economic theory. Featuring examples of businesses which have successfully responded to the value of design in their practice, as well as others who have failed because of their inability to understand value-creation, Heskett looks in detail at the relationship between producers, markets, products and consumers, using these instances to offer a both a strong critique of the limitations conventional economic thought and new model of the economic importance of design thinking in value creation.

John Heskett was a pioneering British design historian, with a particular interest in design and economics. Design and the Creation of Value' publishes for the first time his groundbreaking seminar on design and economic value. In remarkably clear and accessible prose Heskett explores the how the key traditions of economic thought conceive of how value is created. Critically teasing out the role of design in this process, Heskett shows how design's role in innovating and creating value creating value for organisations and products can be given a firm grounding in economic theory. Featuring examples of businesses which have successfully responded to the value of design in their practice, as well as others who have failed because of their inability to understand value-creation, Heskett looks in detail at the relationship between producers, markets, products and consumers, using these instances to offer a both a strong critique of the limitations conventional economic thought and new model of the economic importance of design thinking in value creation.

In a global economy, no company can safely assume that their products will be accepted in foreign markets. The main challenge is to understand and meet the latent needs of culturally diverse groups. This book examines from users' perspective the issue of developing new products for global markets. Given that the primary goal of any design is to create value for users, Boztepe argues that the concept of user value could be a driving force in design decision-making. Through interviews with women about their kitchen practices and observations of their use of kitchen appliances, she presents an ethnographic account of users' value assignment to everyday products as they interact with them. She also examines the cultural elements involved in the process of value assignment. Boztepe uses these findings to propose a user-value-based adaptation framework to assist marketers, product designers and managers in dealing with the complex issue of designing and tailoring products for local needs.