Toolkits for user innovation allow manufacturers to " abandon their attempts to understand user needs in detail in favor of transferring need-related aspects of product and service development to users along with an appropriate toolkit". User toolkits are based on the idea that manufacturers possess the knowledge of the solution possibilities, while the users possess the knowledge about needs. This information is sticky

Sticky information

Sticky Information is a term coined by Eric von Hippel for information which is costly to acquire, transfer, and use in a new location. Because of the importance of sticky, local information for some kinds of innovation and product customization, von Hippel suggests that in certain circumstances...

 and can therefore not be transferred easily between the user and the manufacturer.

User toolkits can be used in a variety of settings, and has been shown to be applicable in systems ranging from production of electronic circuitry to Apache security software (Franke & Von Hippel, 2003).

Content of a toolkit

The process as described by von Hippel has five criteria:

1. Learning by trial-and-error
2. An appropriate solution space.
3. A user-friendly toolkit
4. Commonly used modules
5. Result easily created by user

Learning by trial-and-error

It is important that the user is able to go through complete trial-and-error cycles when designing the product. This allows the users to see the consequences of the design choices they make, and thereby decide more precisely what they really want. Trial-and-error has been shown by research to be the way that most problem solving is done.

An appropriate solution space

A solution space is defined by the flexibility in which the producer can produce the desired result. Any production process has a set of limiting factors, and these factors define the solution space. If the solution space is large(fewer number of limiting factors), the chance of user innovations are big.

A user-friendly toolkit

The process must be available to the users so that they can use the skills and languages they already know. This frees the users from learning the different design-specific skills and languages associated with manufacturing.

Commonly used modules

Custom designs are seldom made up of unique parts, but instead share a set of standard modules. Therefore a library of standard modules should be available to the user. This allows the user to focus on the unique parts that are truly important.

Results easily created

The result from the process must be easily converted into the language needed for the production system, and be without error. If the result of the process must be manually translated much of the effect of the toolkit may be lost.

See also

• Configuration system
• Creativity techniques
  Creativity techniques
  Creativity techniques are methods that encourage creative actions, whether in the arts or sciences. They focus on a variety of aspects of creativity, including techniques for idea generation and divergent thinking, methods of re-framing problems, changes in the affective environment and so on. They...
  
  
• Lead user
  Lead user
  Lead user is a term developed by Eric von Hippel in 1986 . His definition for lead user is:# Lead users face needs that will be general in a marketplace – but face them months or years before the bulk of that marketplace encounters them, and...
  
  
• Open innovation
  Open Innovation
  Although the idea and discussion about some consequences date back at least to the 60s, open innovation is a term promoted by Henry Chesbrough, a professor and executive director at the Center for Open Innovation at the University of California, Berkeley, in his book Open Innovation: The new...
  
  
• Product management
  Product management
  Product management is an organizational lifecycle function within a company dealing with the planning, forecasting, or marketing of a product or products at all stages of the product lifecycle....
  
  
• product differentiation
  Product differentiation
  In economics and marketing, product differentiation is the process of distinguishing a product or offering from others, to make it more attractive to a particular target market. This involves differentiating it from competitors' products as well as a firm's own product offerings...
  
  
• User innovation
  User innovation
  User innovation refers to innovation by intermediate users or consumer users , rather than by suppliers ....
  
  
• Crowdcasting
  Crowdcasting
  Crowdcasting is the intersection of broadcasting and crowdsourcing. The process of crowdcasting uses a combination of push and pull strategies to first engage an audience and build a network of participants and then harness the network for new insights. Those insights are then used to shape...
  
  

External links

• Eric Von Hippel's homepage Books and articles in the creative commons licence available.