When the user makes the difference

The report “User-driven innovation: when the user makes the difference” aims to clarify the awareness and use of user-driven innovation in the Nordic countries.

The authors — a group of students from the Norwegian University of Science And Technology (NTNU) — have contacted numerous companies and experts in their effort to show the variety and diversity of the awareness and use of user-driven innovation among Nordic countries.

Although the report has a professional graphic design, the same cannot be said for the style of writing — which betrays its student project origins — and for the quality of the English.

In the report’s first part the student authors introduce the term user-driven, its relation to other types of innovation and the diversity of the definitions. The history of user-driven innovation is also presented.

The report then continues with an overview of which companies in the Nordic countries have utilised knowledge of their users in developing new products and services, including a shortlist of success stories.

Featured companies are Electrolux (Sweden – white goods), Lego (Denmark – toys), Coloplast (Denmark – medical products), Nokia (Finland – mobile phones), Laerdal Medical (Norway – basic and advanced life support training products and emergency medical equipment), Tomra (reverse vending machines), Trolltech (Norway – computer software), Plastoform AS (Norway – Nordic Seahunter), Funcom (Norway computer and console games), Deuter (Germany – backpacks, suitcases and bags), Sweet Protection (Norway – protective sports clothing), Cycleurope (DBS) (Norway – bicycles), and HardRocx (Norway – bicycles).