Outlining the Initial Framework

The main aim of this research was to evaluate and elevate the existing perception of the strategic value of design and design management practices of Saudia Airlines by considering the perspectives of all key stakeholders involved in the customer journey. In this section Objective 5 is addressed: ‘To create a design management conceptual framework (DMCF) for Saudia Airlines using iterative prototyping, based on the secondary and primary research results.’

Due to the limited literature and existing knowledge on airline companies like Saudia Airlines who use the Silent Design approach, it was difficult to find any measurable criteria or structure to start the study. Therefore the researcher started with analysis and synthesis of the existing literature in the fields of design, design management, and innovation, aimed at identification of such a structure. Accordingly, in an integrative approach and by thorough analysis and synthesis of relevant literature, the researcher found a model that could help in the development process of forming a DMCF. A systematic process is adopted for the design and development of the iterative prototype approach for developing the framework. That is, by mimicking the design process, the

‘framework’ is approached as the ‘product’ for which a design process needs to be planned. The model adapted for a systematic approach to generate the DMCF of this research is that of Pugh (1991), who identified the Total Design Framework. Pugh’s model was chosen for the development of the DMCF because it is considered one of the most well-known models in the field of design and design management. His model is one of the few that addresses an iterative process (see Chapter 01, Section 1.7). Pugh’s model is the most suitable because it captures the iterative characteristics of the design process and gives detailed descriptions. In this study an iterative prototype process similar to Pugh’s model has been applied to formulate the DMCF.

This approach is based around a core of design activities that apply integrated methods in an iterative manner for the purpose of creating innovative products that satisfy the needs of customers (see Figure 3.13). The total design model is a systematic activity that starts with identifying the market/users’ needs and continues until the last stage of selling the successful product is achieved. In Pugh’s (1991) model of the iterative prototype process, a number of key stages are considered. Below in Table 3.6 the core activities of his model are used to form the DMCF, which incorporates six key stages of the design process.

Chapter Three

Research Methods 145

Figure 3.13 Total Design model. Source: Pugh (1991).

Table 3.6 DMCF development process derived from the Total Design Framework. Source: Pugh (1991)

Pugh’s (1991) Total Design Framework DMCF development process in this thesis

1. Marketing needs and demands: is the first stage of the core of design activities that include literature searching, market research, and competitor analysis.

1. Research Direction: defining research aim and objectives. In addition to identifying research gap.

2. The product design specification (PDS): a brief that is written to document the specifications of the product to be designed. In order to understand the complete design activities of the product design specifications, which evolved to match the characteristics of the final process of ideas and generating solutions to meet the final product or project. This stage is applied throughout the core design activities until the final stage. It can and should be applied to any stage.

3. Iterative prototype process development: Applying the iterative prototype process to develop prototypes iteratively based on analysis and synthesis of secondary and primary research (see

Synthesising prototypes to create and iteratively refine DMCF based on expert review and validation (see Chapter 07).

Chapter Three

Research Methods 147

5. Manufacture: This stage is usually presented in a drawing form. After the design has been defined. In the Total Design process this stage is encouraged to be part of the early stages of the designing process to prevent any difficulties that may occur during the manufacturing stage.

5. Presentation of final DMCF:

Explaining DMCF and research contribution (see Chapter 08).

6. Sell (Marketing): is the last stage that completes the Total Design framework, which is the selling of the product this stage also includes the feedback of customers’ satisfaction.

Pugh stated in the total design model that all six stages are of equal importance. In the DMCF iterative prototype process five stages are included and are of equal importance, yet the researcher joined the manufacturing and marketing stages together to reduce complexity. For the purpose of this research, the above shown Table 3.6 right hand side column explains the five stages: 1) research direction, 2) structure of prototypes, 3) iterative prototype process, 4) DMCF formation and evaluation and 5) presentation of a final DMCF. As in Pugh’s design process, the design flow is an iterative process, which is indicated in double-headed arrows (see Figure 3.14). Therefore, the whole five stages of the design cycle are repeated in an iterative cycle in order to constantly improve the prototypes that have developed for the secondary and primary research throughout this study, which will be explained in detail in chapter 07. Figure 3.14 illustrates this iterative prototype process, which highlights that this process consists of four prototypes; each prototype is an iterative process that helped in forming the DMCF.

Figure 3. 14 The Total Design model. Source: Pugh (1991) on the left hand side and the outline of the DMCF development following the format given by Pugh on the right hand side. Source: Researcher.

Previously Chapter 02 demonstrated the initial prototype, which was obtained from the secondary research. In the following chapters the researcher will show the prototypes extracted from the primary research, which will be explained in detail: Chapter 04 (Prototype B), Chapter 05 (Prototype C), and Chapter 06 (Prototype D and CD).

Furthermore, the iterative prototype process will be explained in detail for all four prototypes and the DMCF in Chapter 07.

Based on the nature of each study, various methods of data collection and analysis are used. As mentioned previously, in this study research triangulation (Creswell and Clark, 2008) is adopted in order to enable cross-examination of the results and three different yet complementary methods are applied and combined to study the same phenomenon.

Therefore, a mixed methods research (Creswell, 2009) is adopted and where possible supportive or supplementary methods as a second data collection method are used to validate or corroborate the results. The three combined methods are both qualitative and quantitative in their nature and include a questionnaire of customers of an airline that uses silent design, semi-structured interviews with customers, semi-structured interviews with

Analysis and Synthesis Definging need and research problem

Research Direction

Structure of Prototype

Analysis and Synthesis

Iterative Prototype Process

Iterative Prototype Process

Analysis and Synthesis

Iterative Prototype Process

Analysis and Synthesis

Iterative Prototype Process

Detailed process and evaluation

Chapter Three

Research Methods 149

design experts from the airline industry and Saudia Airlines employees who are involved in the development of the customer journey.

In the case of the primary research iterative prototype process is used to study the perception of the strategic use of design in each study (see Chapter 04, 05 and 06) and is then revised, evaluated and detailed after each study this iterative cycle is repeated several times, for each of the studies planned (see Chapter 07). This way, each study provides a prototype according to the finding extracted of each study, until it reached the final prototype structure given in Chapter 02 (see Section 2.7). After all four prototypes were completed the researcher formed the DMCF.