When worse is better: a typology of strategic downgrading tactics in product and service design

Purpose This study aims to develop a typology that enables a structured description of the diverse actions (tactics) and business justifications (strategies) intended to downgrade a company’s own products and services. Design/methodology/approach The Design Science Research approach was applied to develop a typology of strategic downgrading tactics. The information required for this purpose was collected from focus groups made up of 43 experienced managers and analyzed using the content analysis technique and the Gioia methodology. Findings Five business tactics for downgrading products and services were identified: frugalism, planned obsolescence, degradation, destruction and inconclusion. The typology that was developed describes these tactics in 12 dimensions, with six explaining operational differences and six characterizing their strategic relevance to the business. Practical implications The developed typology adds another perspective to the dominant mindset that focuses on continuously improving and perfecting products and services. For practitioners, it highlights the importance of design professionals considering downgrading tactics in the context of the company’s creative tactics. For academics, it facilitates the understanding and dissemination of downgrading tactics, as well as the concept of zemblanity. Originality/value The developed construct is innovative because it integrates and at the same time discusses tactics that had been previously only addressed in isolation. It also describes business tactics hitherto disregarded in the literature on product and service design.