Characterising Open Source Hardware Development: Insights into Project Success, Project Types and Hardware Replicability

: (Alternative Format Thesis)

Abstract

Open source development has been broadly studied within the context of software since the early 2000s, while this topic has only been broached in the context of hardware – i.e., physical products – in the last decade or so. In that time, open source as a mode of development of physical products – called Open Source Hardware Development (OSHD) – has become increasingly popular and has garnered scientific discourse. While numerous publications present new open source hardware (OSH) products and their designs, little literature shines the spotlight on what some OSH practitioners and academics call ‘meta’ aspects of OSHD – the product development processes, practices and methods used in OSHD projects. This research focuses upon studying OSHD as a phenomenon, with the aim of characterising it as a field by highlighting some nuances that differentiate it from other related fields (such as open source software development, and new product development project management).

In this nascent field, there are numerous possible avenues for research that emerge. In this thesis, the research questions explored relate to the breadth of the field: what success looks like in OSHD projects and whether there are any unique types of OSHD projects. Additionally, this thesis also addresses research questions that investigate the field in depth – specifically, the aspect of replicability in OSH, which is a core part of openness. In line with the research questions, this doctoral thesis aims to contribute to the knowledge in both theory and practice in the field of OSH through three studies:
1. An investigation into what characterises successful OSHD projects from the perspective of practitioners, with a comparison with open source software development and new product development literature
2. An inquiry into the breadth of variety of OSHD projects using a typological approach, identifying distinct project types
3. An investigation into OSH replicability through: shedding light on the replication process; identification of the factors affecting replicability; suggestions for practitioners about how to improve OSH replicability in their projects; and a discussion on whether the OSHD project types (from 2.) can help inform the applicability of the suggestions to different projects.

Through a qualitative survey with practitioners, three top-level characteristics of successful OSH projects were found: successful projects (1) create value to a number of stakeholders and in a number of ways; (2) create high-quality outputs; and (3) have effective processes. Under each of these top-level characteristics, further characteristics, practices and related metrics were identified which aid theoretical understanding as well as inform practice. Using a mixed-methods approach, three OSHD project types emerged: (1) hobbyist electronics projects (2) professional projects and (3) unfunded projects. Lastly, an investigation into a fundamental aspect of OSHD project success, hardware replicability, and what practices could help improve it is presented along with a discussion of the potential for the three project types to inform the suggestions.

Overall, this thesis provides three studies which help characterise the field of OSH by drawing comparisons across OSHD and other related fields as well as comparisons within the OSHD field. It makes a first step into creating empirically-based best practice advice guidelines which are currently lacking in the field, and therefore helps to inform both theory and practice.

Date of Award	15 Nov 2023
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	University of Bath
Sponsors	The A.G. Leventis Foundation
Supervisor	Elies Dekoninck (Supervisor), Daniela Defazio (Supervisor) & Jeremy Bonvoisin (Supervisor)