Interesting entry (Link) on Henry Jenkin’s blog today. It seems a little disjointed, as if it could have been a longer entry, but there’s some good stuff in it (and besides, it reads like I think). The first part of the post mentions Eric Von Hippel, author of Democratizing Innovation. I’ve heard about the book, but haven’t read it. Think I’ll find some time for it. Here’s some incentive from Jenkin’s post:
Basically, Von Hippel is arguing that companies need to identify what he is calling Lead Users — these are both early adopters (in the sense that they are quick to purchase new products) and early adapters (in the sense that they often hack the products to retrofit them for their specialized needs.) By dealing with these communities and understanding how they appropriate and remake products, these companies can accelerate the design process, anticipating uses and desired features before the product even hits the mass market.
