On the Identity of Technological Objects and User Innovations in Function

Abstract

Recent research on user innovation has concentrated on changes in the physical form of the objects concerned to the neglect of changes in their intended use or function. In this paper we advance a theory of the technical identity of a technological object that gives due weight to both its form and its function, and we use this theory to categorize different forms of technological change and to unpack some neglected aspects of user-driven innovations in function.