29. Takeaways Online communities contribute to the development of tangible consumer goods Innovation results from collaboration Exchange of knowledge provides incentive to belong to a community Excitement driven Managerial benefits “Innomediaries” Be prepared to surrender intellectual property rights!
Marshall McLuhanTake Today that with electric technology, the consumer would become a producer.1980 book, The Third Wave, futurologistAlvin Toffler coined the term "prosumer" when he predicted that the role of producers and consumers would begin to blur and merge Toffler envisioned a highly saturated marketplace as mass production of standardized products began to satisfy basic consumer demands. To continue growing profit, businesses would initiate a process of mass customizationConsumers would have to take part in the production process especially in specifying design requirements.
User innovation communities: Members actively discuss ideas or offer new solutions, improve them or make recommendations and share experiencesUse the community to look to for others who have complimentary knowledge and skills that can help them bring their new product ideas to lifeStudies confirm this interaction actually results in a product that is far more superior to the original idea by the individuals: shows the strength of collaboration and knowledge sharing within these innovation communitiesUsers share their innovation with other users and manufacturers – giving up all intellectual property rightsBenefits: network effects, reputational gains and setting a standardFun and exciting
One of the first studies to analyze physical product development in online communitiesUnlike intangible software development that occurs online, physical products cannot be distributed online – not so easy for them to see the immediate benefits of their innovationDecided to study this because we know that online communities exist for almost all product categories, but not a lot was known about the joint innovation creation within these communities
IdeaSuggest improvements but also suggest innovative ideas for almost all shoe components (design, cushioning, lacing, ventilation)Live discussions about what makes a show attractive and suggest was the ideal design for a basketball shoe isGive each other detailed advice and share experiences for example on how to paint a shoe or add glitter to itMotivesRevealing innovation is a community norm Inner desire to give back to the community – for some the exchange of ideas is the only reason they are a part of the communityNeed for recognition from other members or a knowledgeable audience“Need-driven- 20%” or “Excitement-Driven – 80%”For a lot of designers its not just a hobby but could be an intended careerJason Petrie started his career from Niketalk
Benefits to producersOnline their span outreached offclient collective creativityThese consumers come from diverse backgrounds and can offer a greater variety of ideas to use