Semantic networks-based unexpected user's needs discovery for creative product design

The purpose of this paper is to present systemic unexpected users' needs discovery (UUND) methods based on semantic networks (SN). Based on the nature of unexpected user's needs and SN, combining with hierarchical semantic network model, feature comparison model of semantic memory and spreading activation theory of semantic network, this paper outlined and formalized the basic semantic network unit and a real semantic network of user's needs (SNUNs), and then afforded a systemic process and methods for UUND based on this SNUNs. These process and methods involve constructing an instance of SNUNs, spreading the instance of SNUNs by semantic feature comparing and discovering the unexpected needs by semantic analogy reasoning. By applying these methods, an UUND case of new travel products based on SN was offered and analyzed. The results indicated that methods of UUND based on SN are a very effective for discovering user's potential, unexpected, innovative needs in creative product designing process for designers.