Design processes in collective innovation communities: a study of communication

Despite the growing importance of collective intelligence, little is known about the design processes that lead to effective social innovation. A study of communication describes design process visualisations from three sites for collective innovation, in terms of their ability to structure and present design tasks and to situate design communication within the context of these tasks. Empirical data on design communication provide the basis for protocol studies on three project forums from a website for social product design. Mechanisms were identified which describe ways in which collective innovation produces successful solutions shaped by community input: (1) structuring design as a hybrid process, which combines online communities for design development and appointed experts or inbuilt system features for technical and organisational aspects; (2) providing distinct roles for users to assume and manageable tasks for them to perform; (3) clarifying task requirements; and (4) supporting social communication to strengthen the impact of ideas, with particular focus on the social processes of ideation and evaluation. A framework is defined for structuring and understanding the management of collective innovation processes and the roles of participants. These findings have significant practical and theoretical implications for social innovation.