Knowledge of use and acceptability of typological innovation: A comparative study

Abstract

Compared to incremental innovation, radical innovation has a higher risk of failure and loss in the market. Within radical innovation, typological product innovation, which deviates from the product’s formal archetype, can carry significant risks in terms of product acceptability. This is because typological product innovations have the potential to trigger a strong, immediate emotional response. The current study examines the relationship between knowledge of product use and the acceptability of novel typological product innovations. Card-sorting and open interview questions were employed as means to gather response data related to the acceptability of ten example typological product innovations. A qualitative content analysis identified themes and ideas within responses which were then used as the categories of a coding frame. Frequencies of encoding and qualitative analysis of responses revealed a relationship between knowledge of use and acceptability of typological product innovations. Results indicated the increased influence of functional product aspects upon acceptability once knowledge of use was provided. In contrast, formal aspects are dominant in determining acceptability when knowledge of function and use is unknown or unclear. Implications for the design of typological product innovations are discussed.