User-Driven Innovation

The DT News website noted that innovation with users is a key feature of sustainable firms that are keen to add-value and access new markets. Innovation driven by insight from users and customers helps firms and public sector to devise sound products that meets users’ needs. The pioneering work of MIT professor Eric von Hippel, Democratizing Innovation, shed light on the role of lead users in in innovation and in identifying unarticulated needs. His research showed that in more than 1000 innovations across 9 industries, 60% on innovations were users-led.  Global firms like P&D, Nestle, 3M, Microsoft and Motorola work with users to generate ideas, test prototypes, give feedback, and innovate new products and services. The rationale is simple, since firms cannot hire the best talents, they can utilize open and user innovation.

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