The Age of the Consumer-Innovator

I found this article interesting; it was always a concept I was aware of but never actually saw any data, much less a stud on it.  It makes perfect sense that most innovations arise from people trying to address their everyday needs.  The example that the first dishware was around as yearly as 1886 is fascinating.  

            The article mentioned how it is easier to create a prototype nowadays than it has ever been how design technology is available and companies with manufacturing resources are available to produce individual custom parts for a reasonable fee.

Some of the companies we’ve been looking at such as Yahoo and Facebook, and in its early stages even Apple, where the results of consumer innovation originally designed for personal use.  Netflix came about because its founder (Reed Hastings) was sick of paying late fees, and the delivery method of the USPS, which Netflix still uses today, was prototyped by him driving around mailing DVDs to himself and timing how long it took.

 The greatest motivator for innovation is need and no one is more intimately aware of need that the consumer.

I've innovated some custom parts and contraptions in my day usually to address an urgent need I was facing.  For example, when I closed up my windows for the winter I don’t use the DIY heat shrink insulation kits, but instead I use a roll of self adhesive plastic rolls (I think it is meant to be something you place under plants so the moisture doesn’t ruin the surface) its much faster to setup and works better, not too mention cheaper!

Some companies, like Google, have mechanisms in place for people to send feedback, thoughts and suggestions, there by acquiring perhaps novel ideas of functionality that they may not have come up with.

Any company that wants to remain successful must constantly be on the lookout for the next innovation if they want to continue to remain competitive.