Sunday, July 16, 2006
The toolkit model
So I'm creeping up to the inevitable step of any thesis writing process: scoping. Joe has graciously volunteered to take a look at what I get to write about the topic, which is great since Joe has the expertise and a historical perpsective that I can only wish I had. =D
As I've been reading some of Eric Von Hipple's (the man when it comes to the topic of end-user innovation) work, especially his latest book titled "Democratizing Innovation" where he talks about the toolkit business model. That just might be the particular area I focus on. To quote from the text:
Present practice dictates that a high-quality toolkit for user innovation will have five important attributes. (1) It will enable users to carry out complete cycles of trial-and-error learning. (2) It will offer users a solution space that encompasses the designs they want to create. (3) It will be user friendly in the sense of being operable with little specialized training. (4) It will contain libraries of commonly used modules that users can incorporate into custom designs. (5) It will ensure that custom products and services designed by users will be producible on a manufacturer’s’ production equipment without modification by the manufacturer.
The obvious recent case studies would be lego and roomba, and more traditional DIY folks and car enthusiasts fit into this model as well. But I should narrow it down for my thesis to one industry... Probably software since I know most about it? Plus the rising sophistication of firmware is blurring the boundary between hardware and software which makes it quite powerful.... Then I would ask the question I'm most interested in. Can this be a mainstream activity rather than for a niche market gig (i.e. there's financial incentive to be had by firms)? If it isn't quite en masse, then would it be enough to force firms to change their business model? Any fortune tellers among our readers? =)
