From Heritage to Innovation: Uncovering the Values Affected in Transforming Cultural Artifacts into New Products

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Department of Industrial Design, Faculty of Art, Alzahra University, Tehran, Iran

2 Faculty of Management and Accounting, Allameh Tabataba'i University, Tehran, Iran.

Abstract

Innovation in contemporary markets increasingly depends on reinterpreting meaning rather than introducing new technologies. While Design Thinking emphasizes incremental improvements through user-centered problem-solving, Design-Driven Innovation (DDI) seeks radical changes by transforming the symbolic and cultural meanings associated with products. Despite its growing relevance, DDI remains empirically underexplored. This study examines how meaning reinterpretation influences value perception in product innovation, addressing the question: how does DDI affect functional, social, and symbolic dimensions of value when applied to cultural artifacts? To investigate this, four Persian cultural artifacts were reinterpreted by design students to generate new product concepts. Traditional artifacts and their redesigned counterparts were evaluated using a value-based framework integrating the Form–Function–Meaning model and the Richins’ Asset Value Rating Scale. The findings show that value transformation is selective rather than uniform. Statistically significant differences were identified in three dimensions—utilitarian value (p = .007), self-expression (p = .014), and status (p = .002)—with lower scores observed for redesigned artifacts. Other value dimensions remained stable. These results reflect designer-perceived value rather than validated user responses. The findings provide preliminary empirical support for the Innovation Paradox, suggesting that meaning-driven innovation, when developed without external validation, may weaken specific value dimensions, particularly those related to functional use and socially recognized identity. The study contributes by offering empirical evidence of selective value transformation and proposing a three-stage framework—meaning exploration, interpretive validation, and functional calibration—to support more balanced design-driven innovation.

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References

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Journal of Design Thinking
Volume 6, Issue 2
December 2025
Pages 365-380

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