Remember user generated content? That was yesterday. The new cool thing is user generated innovation. Tap into the minds of the crowds.
"In an array of industries, producer centered innovation is being eclipsed by user-centered innovation-the dreaming up, development prototyping, and even production of new products by consumers." writes Eric von Hippel in a February issue of Harvard Business Review. Internet, with its inherent ability to herd like-minded people, has accelerated this phenomenon.

CrowdSpirit has taken the lead in letting others take the lead. You can invent, design and manufacture future electronic products with other like-minded spirits.

Here is the idea in their own words:
"1. Submit an idea of a new innovative electronic product.
2. Vote, define specification, or even invest money on products.
3. Once finalized, test and recommend products to retailers."
and finally " Based on your contribution to the project, earn a share of the product revenue."

At another site, Cambrian House, you can submit your business ideas for any project under the moon - or maybe even beyond.

These initiatives are fresh, so the verdict about their potential is still out. But before we will be looking at massive layoffs at R&D facilities around the world, listening to end users, tapping into their opinions and ideas, could tremendously benefit every manufacturer or service provider today.

Raph Koster, President of Areae, Inc. gave an interesting presentation at O’Reilly’s Emerging Technology Conference. The basic idea is that the elements that make adult games so engaging are quite simple and can be applied to all different interactions, including commercial web sites. Some of the basic elements are: 1) you hone a skill 2) there is some cost for failure 3) there is some form of acknowledgement when your skill improves and 4) others can measure and witness your successes.

The $10,000 question is, how could these elements be used to engage people on commercial web sites? I didn’t attend the conference, but from what I read, the suggestions are: purchasing on eBay can become compelling if you have to become really skilled to do it.

This made me think of the good old days when people would bargain at the market. I can see a purchasing “game” in which the buyer could try to bargain down the price. You could propose a price to an agent, who would counter etc. But what would happen if you walk away? The agent could chase you in an email and offer you a “last chance.”

Coming from a gaming background, part of me loves the idea of turning bland websites into games. Good games can have an incredible appeal. But I’ve also seen my share of failed games (none, of course that I ever worked on!) While the formula for the game might be quite simple, the formula for success isn’t. Furthermore, I’m not sure I can see a really exciting game called “let’s buy something on eBay.” Also, when you want to buy something, the simpler it is, the more likely it is you will go through with it. I mean, just imagine, going to the grocery store in the morning when you are hungry to buy some milk and cereal and the checker asks you the title of the first sonnet that Shakespeare ever wrote: a) Venus and Adonis b) A Lover’s Complaint or c) Sonnet 1.

That is not to say that a really good game couldn’t work to keep people from coming back to a website – and hence to increase desire and likelihood that they will ultimately make purchases. But, not one that is directly connected to purchasing a product. Especially if you skipped out on your literature class.

Inspirations come from random places. Recently I was viewing an art exhibit at one of my kid’s schools. I must say, I was impressed by their creativity. But one creation really blew my mind. Here is what one second grader came up with. Just pour yourself a drink, light up a cigar and ponder the implications of the “What you want machine”. Can you even imagine how your life would change?

I also want to compliment the artist on the user interface. Given the benefit it delivers… It’s an exercise in restraint.

So at first I thought, given that everyone would be able to get everything they want, this invention would spell the end of marketing as we know it. But then I realized, there still is place for marketing. We could try to convince people to get two of these…

Here at CI we are looking at different ways of extracting meaning from data by using visualization tools. Working with our client Autodesk, we are also looking into innovative uses of geospatial software.

I read an article in The Economist about a data visualization that has been developed at MIT that is very thought provoking. It's called the Real Time Rome Project. Researchers at MIT collect anonymous data from mobile phone carriers in Rome. Then they overlay this information (how many mobile phones are being used and where) with 3D mapping of the city. They can then monitor the real time flow of people around Rome.

Such dynamic data visualization mashups could be used for all sorts of other applications. It could be used, for example, to monitor traffic. This could help not only with designing transportation routes, but it could also be merged with onboard navigation systems to plot the users fastest route to his or her destination. It could be used for city planning and appraising commercial property. For example, by determining how many pass a given store front, advertisers can determine how many eyeballs were exposed to specific buildings and billboards. It could also be used for monitoring leisure time preferences. The possibilities for putting an existing technology to a new use are endless.

Ever wondered if someone else is blabbing about you? In their podcast? Now you can just zing it! The cool new service from Podzinger uses speech recognition technology to unlock the information inside podcasts. So all you have to do is type up your name in the search engine, and you can see if your mentioned in any podcast. Not only that, but it will take you to the exact spot within the podcast where your name is spoken. You can then back up, pause or forward through the podcast where your name appears. Paranoia watch out! (I wasn't the one who said that.)