Design thinking for prototyping and product development within a university-led SMEs cluster initiatives in Bolivia
(2024)- Abstract
- This thesis addresses the critical issue of design and development of products like production machines for SMEs and rural communities as an essential capability to foster local technology development within the innovation systems of Latin America.
What is studied and discussed in this thesis is the pre-requisites for effective application of design and development methods, like design thinking for prototyping and industrial production machinery, in collaborative spaces of universities and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the Bolivian context.
For this purpose, the theoretical and empirical perspectives of central characteristics and critical success factors for design thinking implementation for prototyping... (More) - This thesis addresses the critical issue of design and development of products like production machines for SMEs and rural communities as an essential capability to foster local technology development within the innovation systems of Latin America.
What is studied and discussed in this thesis is the pre-requisites for effective application of design and development methods, like design thinking for prototyping and industrial production machinery, in collaborative spaces of universities and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the Bolivian context.
For this purpose, the theoretical and empirical perspectives of central characteristics and critical success factors for design thinking implementation for prototyping and product development for SMEs clusters are studied and
evaluated.
The SME cluster initiatives are facilitated by a public university, which follows the mission of a developmental university through the democratization of knowledge, with one of its principal activities being the design and development of products like industrial production machines.
The adoption of design thinking approaches and methods has been introduced as a new tool in the supporting activities between university-industry, to strengthen the SMEs’ and rural communities’ capabilities to design, prototype and develop new industrial production machines and new agricultural production methods.
This research-based framework may facilitate the SME managers’ understanding of how it works and how it can be applied successfully, which is particularly valuable for resource-constrained SMEs. The framework shows central characteristics of design thinking implementation like dimensions of critical factors, strategies, tools, and phases. Based on the identification of the critical factors some strategies emerged to improve the development of prototypes and machines like the use of visualization tools, such as customer journey maps within SMEs cluster initiatives context. This tool inspires and
promotes communication with users and stakeholders, to get a deeper understanding of user needs. This facilitates the achievement of more satisfactory results of feasible, viable and sustainable machine projects that are appropriate to the capabilities of users/clients.
In resume, this thesis elucidates some issues on how facilitate the implementation of design thinking for prototyping and product development. It further explores how this approach can contribute to addressing problems
within the context of university-led cluster initiatives involving SMEs and farmers with limited resources. This evidence underscores the broad applicability of design thinking approach and highlights the extensive potential for further research into its implementation within this specific context. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/6945fe24-3ad5-4ffd-b05f-556387065e35
- author
- Olivares Ugarte, Jazmin Estefania LU
- supervisor
- organization
- publishing date
- 2024-09-06
- type
- Thesis
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Design thinking, prototyping, developmental university, cluster initiatives, small and medium enterprises (SMEs), critical success factors
- pages
- 81 pages
- publisher
- Department of Design Sciences, Faculty of Engineering, Lund University
- ISBN
- 978-91-8104-193-4
- 978-91-8104-194-1
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- additional info
- Jazmin has a background in design strategies, prototyping and social innovation. Her research is focused on theoretical and practical application of design approaches like design thinking for development of production machines for small and medium sized enterprises within cluster initiatives facilitated by a university in Bolivia. Her research includes experiences of design projects of prototypes and machines developed for SMEs of cluster initiatives. The first insights of this research allowed the identification of strategies and critical factors that may facilitate the application of Design Thinking for product development within these resource-constrained SME contexts.
- id
- 6945fe24-3ad5-4ffd-b05f-556387065e35
- date added to LUP
- 2024-10-07 16:02:51
- date last changed
- 2025-04-04 14:02:44
@misc{6945fe24-3ad5-4ffd-b05f-556387065e35,
abstract = {{This thesis addresses the critical issue of design and development of products like production machines for SMEs and rural communities as an essential capability to foster local technology development within the innovation systems of Latin America. <br/><br/>What is studied and discussed in this thesis is the pre-requisites for effective application of design and development methods, like design thinking for prototyping and industrial production machinery, in collaborative spaces of universities and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the Bolivian context. <br/><br/>For this purpose, the theoretical and empirical perspectives of central characteristics and critical success factors for design thinking implementation for prototyping and product development for SMEs clusters are studied and <br/>evaluated. <br/><br/>The SME cluster initiatives are facilitated by a public university, which follows the mission of a developmental university through the democratization of knowledge, with one of its principal activities being the design and development of products like industrial production machines. <br/><br/>The adoption of design thinking approaches and methods has been introduced as a new tool in the supporting activities between university-industry, to strengthen the SMEs’ and rural communities’ capabilities to design, prototype and develop new industrial production machines and new agricultural production methods. <br/><br/>This research-based framework may facilitate the SME managers’ understanding of how it works and how it can be applied successfully, which is particularly valuable for resource-constrained SMEs. The framework shows central characteristics of design thinking implementation like dimensions of critical factors, strategies, tools, and phases. Based on the identification of the critical factors some strategies emerged to improve the development of prototypes and machines like the use of visualization tools, such as customer journey maps within SMEs cluster initiatives context. This tool inspires and <br/>promotes communication with users and stakeholders, to get a deeper understanding of user needs. This facilitates the achievement of more satisfactory results of feasible, viable and sustainable machine projects that are appropriate to the capabilities of users/clients. <br/><br/>In resume, this thesis elucidates some issues on how facilitate the implementation of design thinking for prototyping and product development. It further explores how this approach can contribute to addressing problems <br/>within the context of university-led cluster initiatives involving SMEs and farmers with limited resources. This evidence underscores the broad applicability of design thinking approach and highlights the extensive potential for further research into its implementation within this specific context.}},
author = {{Olivares Ugarte, Jazmin Estefania}},
isbn = {{978-91-8104-193-4}},
keywords = {{Design thinking; prototyping; developmental university; cluster initiatives; small and medium enterprises (SMEs); critical success factors}},
language = {{eng}},
month = {{09}},
note = {{Licentiate Thesis}},
publisher = {{Department of Design Sciences, Faculty of Engineering, Lund University}},
title = {{Design thinking for prototyping and product development within a university-led SMEs cluster initiatives in Bolivia}},
url = {{https://lup.lub.lu.se/search/files/196755977/e-nailing_ex_Jazmin_Olivares_Ugarte_FINAL_version.pdf}},
year = {{2024}},
}