A design approach to activate innovation in the marine industry

The global Marine Industry is projected to grow in accordance with the rising interest in water- based leisure activities by up to 11% and to reach a market value of US$ 74.7 billion by 2022. A recent review of market research has indicated that boat manufacturers must be able to react quickly to changing consumer preferences and engage in continuous research and development. The traditional process of boat design prioritised an engineering approach, involves incremental development and a slow evolution. It is suggested that a design approach is the key to bring innovation into the marine industry and to maintain the competitiveness in the world market. This paper aims to evaluate the capability of design methods to drive innovation in the marine industry. Four yacht projects developed at Politecnico di Milano and Izmir University of Economics programs have been chosen to represent best practices. Within the scope of this study, the projects are categorized into three groups: the change of typology, the evolution of construction technology and a new service system. The projects move from an initial research phase based on selected methods of data collection such as interviews, ethnographic observations and questionnaires. Then, the later stages of problem solving, development, prototyping and proposals are led through a multidisciplinary design approach which includes scenario creation, technology-push innovation and service-design. As a conclusion, it is argued that the design approach in product, process and service development delivers positive outcomes for the Marine Industry.