Visual representations for communication in geographically distributed new product development projects

This study addresses the role of visual representations in supporting communication between an R&D team and geographically distributed suppliers for a new product development (NPD) project. Itspecifically focuses on the design and use of visual representationsas a feasible way for communication between the distributed actorswhen they face communication challenges originating from differences in skills in the English language, but also from differences inwork experiences. Relying on empirical materials from a Swedishmanufacturing company in the mechanical engineering industry,this paper makes the following contributions to the literature. First,it shows that visual representations are effective boundary objectsable to support process-oriented and product-oriented communication in distributed NPD projects. Second, it illustrates that visualrepresentations do not necessarily have to follow graphic designprinciples, but can still be effective if distributed actors share thesame project context. Finally, it highlights the need for a dynamic andcontext-dependent perspective on communication in NPD projects.