“Do consumers want to design unique products on the internet? A ...

innovations originate in the user rather than the manufacturer domain (Von Hippel 1988;
Piller & Walcher 2005).
Collaborative <strong>design</strong> is of interest as it may support MC using a community <strong>to</strong> encourage
creativity and assist cus<strong>to</strong>mers in making better choices than if they are left <strong>to</strong> <strong>design</strong> in
isolation, selecting from a large variety of choices (Von Hippel & Tyre, 1995; Franke &
Shah, 2003; Piller et al 2005). This support should help provide the knowledge that
Berger et al (2005) said was s<strong>to</strong>pping consumer specifying an individualized solution that
corresponds <strong>to</strong> their desires.
Sawhney & Prandelli (2000) concluded that a business model that combined
communities in<strong>to</strong> product development empowers peripheral players, giving them the
right <strong>to</strong> contribute their own experience and individual knowledge <strong>to</strong> the final output.
Each consumer can add <strong>to</strong> the collective knowledge of the community from their
experiences. This collaborative method of innovation has gained momentum and interest
in recent times because of the open source software movement, which has shown that
self-organised groups are able <strong>to</strong> create software applications superior <strong>to</strong> commercial
offerings (Fuller & Hienerth 2004). Jeppesen & Molin (2003) believe that this user
creation and development results in a longer product life and greater sales of the basic
product.
Adam Fletcher – Do <strong>consumers</strong> <strong>want</strong> <strong>to</strong> <strong>design</strong> <strong>unique</strong> product on the internet.
2006
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