Two interesting posts on Springwise recently that could even go hand in hand. The first even relates to an article in The Economist about where innovation comes from, and what companies it happens to. The second struck me as a service filling a need for something that hasn’t been done right in the first place: consistant and intuitive smartphone user interface.
It’s a rare product that can’t benefit from at least a little bit of improvement, and many leave room for lots more than that. RedesignMe is a Dutch site that is putting crowdsourcing to work to refine and revise product designs of mass-produced consumer goods.
Consumers frustrated by mobile phones, coffee machines, or products of virtually any type can submit a photo or video of the product along with a description of what they think needs redesigning. One user, for example, complains about excessively sensitive buttons on his cell phone that frequently get pressed by accident; another describes an alarm clock that won’t go off. Other users on the site can then submit suggestions for redesigning the product in question, with the option of using an online design tool to annotate pictures with post-it notes, text balloons and arrows. Users can rate each other’s submissions and add comments, and prizes are awarded each month.
After a beta period beginning in late July, RedesignMe just officially launched a few weeks ago, with the goal of ‘promoting simplicity in product design’ and giving ‘a signal to the industry.’ About 60 problem products have been submitted so far, and more than 30 have been redesigned. The site’s developers are now looking for design schools, investors and entrepreneurs to partner with.
RedesignMe’s site could use some refinement itself—navigation can be tricky—and it’s not yet entirely clear how ideas generated there will translate into actual products on the market. But if the site continues to gain traction, smart consumer products companies and inventors will start paying attention, and maybe even start sponsoring it. After all, who needs expensive market research when consumers are right there, showing you what they want? And the obvious opportunity for entrepreneurs in other parts of the world is to set up their own versions of RedesignMe, focusing on products (and services!) sold locally.
Website: www.redesignme.org
Contact: info@redesignme.org
Spotted by: Sheila Wigman
Since the dawn of the personal computer age, millions of us have attended training classes to learn how to build better spreadsheets and killer PowerPoint presentations. Now, as cell phones and other mobile gadgets become increasingly complex and loaded with features, entrepreneurs are finding similar opportunities in the mobile field. New Zealand’s Mobile Mentor provides hourlong one-on-one sessions as well as group training on how to use the rising number of features bundled with mobile devices. Plus, it conducts courses for phone-industry sales personnel on how to explain a mobile gadget’s advantages to customers.
While some consumers are naturally adept at dealing with a device’s interface, menus and options, others greatly benefit from a bit of outside help. One of Mobile Mentor’s first customers explains: ‘All it would take is for someone to sit down with me for 1 hour. I’ve tried myself, got instructions from Vodafone, but it’s too hard.’ Case studies on Mobile Mentor’s website illustrate how mastering a phone’s features can reap impressive productivity gains. In one example, a real estate agent learned how to use her phone to record appointments. In another, a doctor learned how to better use email and other mobile device features while protecting patient privacy.
Mobile Mentor claims to have trained over 20,000 people, but the potential market is many times larger. Entire organizations are going wireless, communicating and accessing the internet via smartphones instead of laptops and landlines. To get the most from their investment, those organizations will insist their employees know how to use the full range of a device’s features.
The need for training will continue to increase as phones inevitably incorporate more features. That’s because unlike computers, a mobile device’s keyboard and screen are limited to what will comfortably fit in its owner’s purse or pocket. And while many mobile devices are likely to mimic the Apple iPhone’s friendlier user interface, a mobile device—owing to its size—will never be as easy to operate as a laptop with a full-size screen and keyboard.
Mobile Mentor isn’t the only outfit offering training, of course. US-based CompuTrain provides web-based and instructor-led courses for BlackBerry users. Also, the innumerable stores and mall kiosks that hawk mobile devices give buyers quick lessons. Given the fierce competition in mobile device retailing, customers may soon demand formal training as a prerequisite to buying. (Related, at trendwatching.com: Status skills—a value shift in status from from passive consumerism to mastering skills.)
Website: www.mobile-mentor.com
Contact: info@mobile-mentor.com
Spotted by: Paul Evans-McLeod
(Both Via Springwise: Promising new business ideas for entrepreneurial minds.)