Research

The SUGAR network brings together researchers from various university and fosters their engagement into joint research on Design Thinking. The community has three points of research interests. First, researchers investigate how Design Thinking can be taught to students as an innovation method. The second point of interest is the application of Design Thinking by companies and practitioners for innovation and new product development. And third, the network embarks on how Design Thinking influences business success.

If you have done research within Design Thinking and are from the SUGAR Network, send us your papers to social@sugar-network.org

A managerial mental model to drive innovation in the context of digital transformation
Danielly de Paula, Carolin Marx, Ella Wolf, Christian Dremel, Kathryn Cormican & Falk Uebernickel (2022). Industry and Innovation Journal, 1-24. DOI: 10.1080/13662716.2022.2072711. Download

Design Thinking: a Global Study on Implementation Practices in Organizations Past - Present - Future
Gerken, S., Uebernickel, F., & de Paula, D. (2022). Universitätsverlag Potsdam. Download

InnoPulse: a Tool to Support Collaborative Reflection in Creativity-Driven Engineering Projects
de Paula, D., Hahn, D., Matthies, C., & Uebernickel, F. (2022). Conference: 55th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences. Download

The Nexus of Design Thinking and Intrapreneurship: Insights from a large-scale empirical assessment
Marx, C., Haskamp, T., de Paula, D., & Uebernickel, F. (2022). Conference: 55th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences. Download

The Power Of Habits: Evaluation Of A Mobile Health Solution For The Management Of Narcolepsy
Wiktoria Staszak , Danielly de Paula and Falk Uebernickel (2021). In DS 109: Proceedings of the Design Society: 23rd International Conference on Engineering Design (ICED21), 1:3081–90. Cambridge University Press.. Download

From Acquaintances to Partners in Innovation: An Analysis of 20 Years of Design Thinking's Contribution to New Product Development
de Paula, D., Cormican, K., & Dobrigkeit, F. (2022). IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management Journal. Download

R&D approach based on multiple partners and Design Thinking, Lean Startup, and Agile concepts: A case study in the electricity sector
Leal, L., Ribeiro, A., Romão, V., do Amaral, G., Altmann, R., Kahn, R., Pacci, B., Avo, M., Salerno, M., Plonski, G., & Zancul, E. (2021). Brazilian Journal of Operations & Production Management, 18(1), 1-12.. Download

Design thinking as an approach for innovation in healthcare: systematic review and research avenues
Mariana Oliveira, Eduardo Zancul, André Leme Fleury (2020). BMJ Innovations Published Online First. Download

Design Thinking in Digital Innovation Projects—Exploring the Effects of Intangibility
L. Przybilla, K. Klinker, M. Lang, M. Schreieck, M. Wiesche and H. Krcmar (2020). IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management. Download

Meet Stevie: a Socially Assistive Robot Developed Through Application of a ‘Design-Thinking’ Approach.
McGinn, C., Bourke, E., Murtagh, A. et al. (2020). J Intell Robot Syst 98, 39–58. Download

Innovative prototypes for cervical cancer prevention in low-income primary care settings: A human-centered design approach
Marcela Arrivillaga ,Paula C. Bermúdez,Juan Pablo García-Cifuentes,Jorge Botero (2020). PLOS ONE 15(8): e0238099. Download

Teaching Innovation in Interdisciplinary Environments: Toward a Design Thinking Syllabus
Wiesche, M., Leifer, L., Uebernickel, F., Lang, M., Byler, E., Feldmann, N., ...& Suzuki, S. (2018). In AIS SIGED International Conference on Information Systems Education and Research. Download

Combining Design Thinking and Agile Development to Master Highly Innovative IT Projects
Przybilla, L., Schreieck, M., Klinker, K., Pflügler, C., Wiesche, M., & Krcmar, H. (2018). Projektmanagement und Vorgehensmodelle 2018 - Der Einfluss der Digitalisierung auf Projektmanagementmethoden und Entwicklungsprozesse. Download

A Human-Centric Approach to Digital Innovation Projects in Health Care: Learnings from Applying Design Thinking
Przybilla, L., Klinker, K., Wiesche, M., & Krcmar, H. (2018). In 22nd Pacific Asia Conference on Information Systems (PACIS 2018). Yokohama. Download

Key Performance Indicators and Dimensions for the Innovation Process
Nappi, V., Kelly, K. (2018). 25th Innovation and Product Development Management Conference. Download

An analysis of designer empathy in the early phases of design projects
Surma-aho, A., Björklund, T., Hölttä.Otto, K. (2018). DS 91: Proceedings of NordDesign 2018, Linköping, Sweden, 14th-17th August 2018. Download

Divergent prototyping effect on the final design solution: the role of "Dark Horse" prototype in innovation projects
Durão, L.F.C.S. , Kelly, K., Nakano, D.N., Zancul, E. , McGinn, C.L. (2018). Procedia CIRP. Download

Assessing the development of empathy and innovation attitudes in a project-based engineering design course
Surma-Aho, A., Björklund, T., Hölttä-Otto, K. (2018). In ASAnnual Conference. American Society for Engineering Education. Download

A human-oriented framework for developing assistive service robots, Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology
Conor McGinn, Michael F. Cullinan, Mark Culleton & Kevin Kelly (2018). 13:3, 293-304. Download

Service design principles for organizational well-being: Improving the employee experience through design thinking
Bertolotti, F., Di Norcia, M., & Vignoli, M. (2018). In ServDes2018-Service Design Proof of Concept (Vol. 150, pp. 736-750).Linköping University Electronic Press. Download

Exploring the application of design thinking to the development of service robot technology
McGinn, C., Bourke, E., Murtagh, A., Cullinan, M. F., & Kelly, K. (2018). In ICRA2018 Workshop on Elderly Care Robotics-Technology and Ethics (WELCARO). Download

An Empirical Study on Design-Based vs. Traditional Approaches in Capstone Courses in Engineering Education
Zancul, E.S., Durao, L.F.C.S., Lopes, R.D., Nakano, D., Majzoub, G. G., Blikstein, P. , Dalmon, D.L. (2017). The International journal of engineering education. Download

Design thinking para innovar, desde la interdisciplinariedad e interculturalidad, en ingeniería
Juan Pablo García-Cifuentes (2016). ACOFI 2016 International Engineering Education Meeting. Download

Students’ engagement in the implementation of results obtained in capstone design courses: A preliminary model for detailed design and go-to-market activities
de Senzi Zancul, Eduardo; Blikstein, Paulo; dos Santos Durăo, Luiz Fernando Cardoso; Rocha, Alexandre Machado (2016). DS 83: Proceedings of the 18th International Conference on Engineering and Product Design Education (E&PDE16), Design Education: Collaboration and Cross-Disciplinarity, Aalborg, Denmark, 8th-9th September 2016. Download

How Deutsche Bank’s IT Division Used Design Thinking to Achieve Customer Proximity
Vetterli, C., Uebernickel, F., Brenner, W., Petrie, C., & Stermann, D. (2016). MIS Quarterly Executive, 15(1), 37–53. Download

Needmining: Identifying micro blog data containing customer needs
Kuehl, N., Scheurenbrand, J., & Satzger, G. (2016). In ECIS (p. ResearchPaper185). Download

How tangible is your prototype? Designing the user and expert interaction
Donati, C., & Vignoli, M. (2015). International Journal on Interactive Design and Manufacturing (IJIDeM), 9(2), 107-114. Download

Face to Face with Ambiguity and Diversity: Dynamics of Interdisciplinary Team Work in Different Phases of Explorative New Product Development Projects
Rekonen, S. (2014). NordDesign Conference, Espoo Finland / Melbourne Australia August 27-29.2014. Download

From palaces to yurts: Why requirements engineering needs design thinking
Vetterli, C., Brenner, W., Uebernickel, F., & Petrie, C. (2013). IEEE Internet Computing, 17(2), 91–94.. Download

Design Thinking as an Outreach Activity for Female Students
Kelly, K., Mooney, T. (2013). 30th International Manufacturing Conference. Download

Issues of Collaboration within Global Project Teams
Kelly, K., Culleton M., Barrett, R., Weldon, P., Connolly, E. (2013). 30th International Manufacturing Conference. Download

Dancing with ambiguity - Design thinking in interdisciplinary engineering education
Taajamaa, V., Sjöman, H., Kirjavainen, S., Utriainen, T., Repokari, L., Salakoski, T. (2013). Design Management Symposium (TIDMS), 2013 IEEE Tsinghua International (pp. 353-360). IEEE., At Shenzhen, China. Download

Building agile design teams
Vignoli, M., Ferioli, G., & Steinert, M. (2013). In DS 75-3: Proceedings of the 19th International Conference on Engineering Design (ICED13) Design For Harmonies, Vol. 3: Design Organisation and Management, Seoul, Korea 19-22.08. 2013 (pp. 121-130). Download

Student Facebook connections in a Global Project Based Engineering Design Course
Suzuki, S., & Leifer, L. (2009). In DS 58-10: Proceedings of ICED 09, the 17th International Conference on Engineering Design, Vol. 10, Design Education and Lifelong Learning, Palo Alto, CA, USA, 24.-27.08. 2009 (pp. 215-226). Download

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