82 CHAPTER V STAGE TWO - EXPLANATORY CASE STUDY V.1 RESEARCH PROPOSITIONS From previous Chapter , the exploratory case study has been succesfully producing the The Verified Conceptual Framework which shows that in order to create a sustainable competitve product through design driven innovation, or in another words, through the innovation of product meaning, there are requirements of five main constructs: SENSING, SENSEMAKING, SIGNMAKING, SHAPING and STORYTELLING, supporting by a Design Database which consists of Trendforecasting Data, Product Language Data and Technology Data and the new meaning creation is influenced by the passion and worldview of the Designer. Coming into the Stage-2 Explanatory Case Study , propositions will be derived first from each of the constructs of the Verified Conceptual Framework which is described in the subsequent paragraph. SENSING As already described in the previous Chapter, Sensing is in the front part of the framework with a very special task of scanning the evolving lifestyles in a certain socio-cultural context it would like to observe. It tries to detect as early as possible any potential changes (weak signals) that emerge before collecting all of the relevant information. From the exploratory case study research data, it reveals that the creative companies apply various methods in sensing the lifestyle trends, among others: bodystorming, brainstorming, design discourse, culture coding, imperience, in-depth personal interview and lifestyle study. From the interview, it is suggested that the output of all these Sensing activities was collected and managed as a trend forecasting data. PROPOSITION 1: The first stage of the design driven innovation involves the activity of scanning lifestyles in a certain socio-cultural context, and it tries to detect as early as possible any potential changes or trend that emerges and then collecting all of the relevant data. 83 SENSEMAKING The outputs of the previous Sensing activity are more or less still on the status of raw data, that needed to be processed further to become a meaningful information. Sensemaking is the activity of interpreting the trend forecasting data which come from the sensing activity before assigning them with personal meanings. Sensemaking process in this case is strongly influenced and filtered by a system of actions and beliefs (Weick, 1995) or by the worldview of the designer which could be among others: ecofriendly-design, emotional design, new craft, new aesthetic, slow design and sustainability as included in the interview data. Even though the designer already has a certain worldview filter to discern the meaning from data, at first cycle usually they still leave several alternative insights before coming into the final decision. PROPOSITION 2: The design driven innovation involves the activity of interpreting the trend forecasting data from the previous scanning activity; and then assigning new meaning which is strongly influenced and filtered by a system of actions and beliefs of the designer him /herself. SIGNMAKING At this signmaking stage, the company has already decided finally the idea or product brief that would be translated into the design concepts by selecting and specifying the appropriate product languages and suitable technologies from the relevant databases. This stage is more or less following Krippendorff (1989) circular process of “sense”, “meaning” and “action”, which means that after attributing meaning to something in the activity of sensing, then that thing is realized into an action. Since the focus of a design-driven innovation approach is on the innovation of a new or radical meaning rather than on technology, the next stage is finalizing a design concept which consists of two activities such as shaping and storytelling. PROPOSITION 3: The design driven innovation involves the activity of translating the final insights or meanings assigned in the previous sensemaking, into the product brief by selecting and specifying the appropriate product languages and suitable technologies from the relevant databases. 84  SHAPING In the shaping activity, the design concepts from previous stage will be further elaborated and detailed into a complete specification ready to use as technical instructions. These technical instructions will be used to develop a new prototype and a production or manufacturing planning of a final product. In general, the activity of Shaping is also called as New Product Development.  STORYTELLING Storytelling is the conveying of events in words, and images, often by improvisation or embellishment.