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"I just discovered an intriguing Wired article about how Lego has applied \"Web 2.0 peer-production techniques\" (Chris Anderson's words, not mine!) to the development of their latest Mindstorms robotics kits.  The company called up a bunch of Lego fanatics and asked them to help with the development of the product.  While it's obvious that companies should source talent from outside their own walls, most are too conceited to bother - how could their customers know more about their product than they do?  \nUmair Haque refers to this outsourcing of work as an \"edge competence\" - web companies like Flickr, Digg and del.icio.us have gone so far as to outsource all their \"production\" to the user, with great results.  Of course, we typically refer to this trend as \"user-generated content\", but the model could also be used to outsource the design process - let everybody contribute to the system, then extract the best stuff.  Flickr has applied this philosophy to its interestingness algorithm (a way to find the \"best\" photos), while tagging sites like del.icio.us highlight popular links.  The wisdom within these user-submitted links can also be used to improve the results of search engines.  Meanwhile Digg, the poster-child of the wisdom of crowds philosophy, is designed to let the most interesting news rise to the top.  And while Lego was forward-thinking enough to ask a few of its biggest fans for help, the company could have taken inspiration from Web 2.0 startups by opening up the development process to every single Mindstorms user. \nNonetheless, it's reassuring to see a few real-world companies tapping into the collective wisdom of their users to create better products.  Boeing had a revelation with its World Design Team, a site which asked passengers and aviation enthusiasts for advice on how to design the latest Boeing airplane.  (If they were really smart they would have figured out how to aggregate and filter all the blog posts about Boeing and use that knowledge to improve their designs, but a centralized forum is good enough for now). \nOf course, Lego has embraced user-generated content before: last year they opened up Lego Factory, a way for users to create and share Lego designs.  And it seems that Mindstorms director S\u00F8ren Lund has been drinking the Web 2.0 Kool-Aid - in reference to the development of Mindstorms, he is quoted as saying,\"Imagine Flickr for robotics.\"  The glaring mistake Lego made here is that they didn't pay the Lego enthusiasts for their time, but instead rewarded them with Lego sets and early Mindstorms prototypes.  Even Lego hasn't yet understood the need for revenue sharing with contributors.  From the Wired article:\n\nBut the boldest part of the Mindstorms overhaul is Lego's decision to outsource its innovation to a panel of citizen developers. Relying on the MUP [Mindstorms User Panel] is a gamble that Lego hopes will lead not only to a better product but also to a tighter, more trusting bond between corporation and customer.\n...Lego's decision to tap this culture of innovation was a natural extension of its efforts over the past few years to connect customers to the company....The MUP would push this cooperative model even further \u2014 giving a few stellar Mindstorms users the opportunity to help develop sets for the world. But who should be in the inner circle? By trolling through online user groups and Web sites, Lund and Smith-Meyer collected 20 names. They winnowed the list based on the candidates' experience and their desire to have a well-rounded panel of specialists in different areas \u2014 sensors, software, building, et cetera. Eventually, they had five names: the four pioneering MUPers, and another person who never responded.\n\nSo the question is: what will happen when real-world companies truly embrace Web 2 .0 values?  What would happen if Ralph Lauren began to accept submissions from \"amateur\" fashion designers?  Would Apple create even more attractive hardware if they outsourced their designs to fanatical users, using a democratic Digg-like system to let the best ideas rise to the top?  What will happen when the revolution in media production - in the form of blogs, citizen journalism sites like OhMyNews, peer-produced knowledge factories like Wikipedia and collaborative news filters like Digg - makes its way into product design?  And I haven't even begun to explain the parallels between open-source software (ala SourceForge and Mozilla Firefox) and the future of product development.\nThere are so many trends converging here that I don't know where to start.  If you're still struggling to understand what I'm babbling about, take a look at Trendwatching's Customer-Made trend or grab a copy of The Wisdom of Crowds by James Surowiecki.  Then take a fresh look at Flickr, del.icio.us and Digg and imagine how user-generated content could disrupt everyone from mainstream media outlets to product design companies and beyond.  Finally, make your way to the comments and tell me I'm speaking guff.  :)\nPS.  Did I mention I'm now offering consulting services on Web 2.0, peer production, user-generated content, blogging, podcasting and more?"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://mashable.com/2006/01/05/lego-drinks-the-web-20-kool-aid-mindstorms-becomes-flickr-for-robotics/>