Technology news and Jobs 
Information Technology News Welcome the world of user-led innovation
Information Technology News Welcome the world of user-led innovation | Welcome the world of user-led innovation |
|
| by Stuart Corner | |
| Sunday, 27 January 2008 | |
|
Sharp says that digital technologies are making it possible for audiences to move beyond being consumers of media, culture and knowledge to becoming active producers. "The sources of innovation are shifting rapidly from the traditional 20th century model of commercial R&D labs, elite universities, private companies and government agencies to user-led innovation...It's a most significant development that everyday people can now utilise the web at a grass-roots level to have a voice and play an important role in the co-creation of software, media platforms, and even physical goods through what's known as 'citizen product design'...While the creation and sharing of digital media is the most visible of user-led activities, other forms of 'citizen product design' are catering to people's desire for personalised consumer goods." As early examples of this trend, Sharp cites: - Threadless, a Chicago-based company that solicits t-shirt graphics from its customers, produces the most popular designs, and then sells these via its website; - Through its 'Open Source Footwear' initiative boutique shoemaker John Fluevog invites customers to submit new shoe designs which are then chosen through peer voting and are vetted for manufacturing feasibility; - Danish toy manufacturer Lego became a champion of user-led innovation after discovering that users were hacking its popular 'Mindstorms' robot kits. The company re-positioned itself by establishing the 'Mindstorms User Panel' as an elite group of volunteer 'lead users' tasked with co-creating new toy designs and test working prototypes. The report comprises two discrete sections: The first seeks to identify the key drivers of user-led innovation, its impacts and strategies to foster and exploit it. The second part is an examination of Second Life. It is available free from http://www.swinburne.edu.au/chance .
Get stories like this delivered daily - FREE - subscribe now
|
Tags
| < Next story in category | Previous story in the category > |
|---|
