It is said that technology is a modern form of human creativity. What this means is that, when innovation occurs using a range of different technologies, it can be said that human creativity becomes integrated. Crowdsourcing software is a particular example of this, one where all the elements of innovation, from forming an idea to executing the plan, are included.
Crowdsourcing Software Has Taught Us that Less Is More
A good crowdsourcing software package allows us to do everything: multiplying, dividing, subtracting, adding, eliminating, removing, combining, aligning, integrating, rearranging, reconfiguring, and finishing an idea or project. And it has taught us that less is more innovation (LIMI), which has been quite surprising to those who always thought that more is better innovation (MIBI). But consider the 2010 Apple iPad, for instance, which didn’t have any USB ports or disc drive. It took just four months for 2 million units to be sold!
Crowdsourcing software teaches us when, where, and how to innovate. It enables us to develop new ideas around new concepts, testing what does and doesn’t work, and eventually developing a market strategy. From that point on, the well-documented and understood commercialization steps can be applied so that the whole process can be successful. But it starts by simplifying the initial questions, thereby getting through the biggest challenges in an easy to manage way. Indeed, you can even question who to innovate with and for whom!
Using Your Own Innovation Tools
You must see crowdsourcing software as your own, proprietary innovation tool. It is a technological method of business model canvases, product clinics, KANO models, bench markings, morphological maps, mind maps, brain writings, and brain storms. A good software package can be built around your personal needs, instead of around the latest popular buzzword that essentially means “getting people’s ideas together”. Good crowdsourcing software gathers all your ideas so that they are there to use for the current and future generation. Every idea that is created is a footprint that may eventually be used. Consider, for instance, the ISLAM model, the innovation Tautogram, and the EPIC formula, all used in innovation teams around the world, all developed through innovative thinking and crowdsource software in the past.
What crowdsource software enables you to do, is to change your mindset. Not just that, however, it ensures that everybody feels engaged and is supported in coming up with innovative thoughts. It guarantees that ideas are not just collected, but also taken seriously. Startup companies, interestingly enough, seem to be leading the way in terms of the integration of this type of software. Perhaps that is because they understand that, if they are to be successful in today’s competitive world, they must come up with out of the box ideas. Either way, crowdsourcing software is about encouraging people to be professional and ethical, but most of all creative. It is the technological equivalent of the blank canvas that everybody can work on together, in conjunction with one another.
