Innovation and modularity: a case in cultural product design

This paper discusses product development for cultural products revolving around a kernel requiring some degree of protection or conservation: frescoes, buildings, music scripts, and similar. It applies an innovation modularity framework accommodating for the peculiar role consumers have in such products, as purported by reception theories. The case of NPD at the Scrovegni Chapel is presented, including customer satisfaction data concerning product innovation. Results suggest a modularity approach to product design in cultural productions helps reduce conflict between protection and fruition instances, and that including consumers among the modules to be standardised and mix-matched leads to higher product value.