Simplifying Solution Space: Enabling Non-Expert Users to Innovate and Design with Toolkits

Hari Suman Naik takes the perspective of modular systems and investigates how to enable non-expert users to innovate and design, by simplifying toolkit solution space. New production technologies like digital fabrication and modular electronics along with appropriate toolkits can offer users a significant design flexibility to innovate solutions that meet their heterogeneous and sticky needs. The author contributes towards understanding and designing toolkit solution space, first using qualitative studies to explore mechanisms for simplifying the use and structure of toolkit solution space, and then using a design study of an innovative toolkit. The findings are relevant to innovation and product managers eager to incorporate user ideas with toolkits.