There’s a good entry on the Mass Customization blog titled “Open Source Footwear — bringing customer co-design to a traditional industry“(Link). I’ve been trying to make some time to read (and digest) it; I’m glad I found that time (in the middle of the night) as it touches on a few issues I follow here.

I found this small snip particularly noteworthy:

One way to do so is to install internet platforms (innovation toolkits) where users can evaluate new designs, give feedback or even create totally new designs.

While not exactly the best example for doing these things, I couldn’t help but think of Nike’s association with the videogame NBA 2k6 in which players can mod their own shoes in-game similarly to how they customize the shoes on the Nike ID website (I’ve posted several times on it over the past year or so – reLink). I’ve not heard if Nike and the developer have linked the game to the website yet, but if they haven’t either they or someone else will do so very soon. The way in which work is fusing with play is especially interesting to me.

Another thing worth noting is this comment in the entry but taken from another source:

”Customers want to express themselves, to be involved with the brand,” Mr. Fluevog is quoted in the article. ”For so long, people would hand me a drawing of their personal design for a shoe or ask if I had considered an idea they liked. This program is a natural outgrowth of that desire for connection.”

Sounds like the “Experience Model” I’ve long thought would eventually emerge and about which I recently wrote (reLink). It’s good to see it pop up.

There are two other things I can’t help but call out. The first is: how is it that the Europeans seem to totally understand the potential in these explorations? It seems as if most everything being done in the rapid-prototyping arena right now is coming out of Europe (and the Germans seem to be really pushing the metal fabrication envelope lately; there’s been lots of cool developments over the past year or so).

The second is this observation made by the author:

… as it are often the internal designers or engineers of a manufacturer who oppose the idea that users and customers can be a source for innovation as well.

It does seem that way. I’ll be watching that more carefully myself in the coming months. The Industrial Design community is in serious danger imo … but then some time ago I warned the designers who read the Core77 forum that everything is changing and their profession is likely to split into two distinct groups (comments are buried in the forum – I’ll find a link later). I’ve even said I think the old occupational tag – “Industrial Design” – is dead (reLink). That probably scares more than a few designers, but afaic, it’s exciting stuff. I can hardly wait to see what rises up from the ashes.