Be prepared for a very American take on the subject of user-based innovation but this video has some top brains saying it just the way we see it.

Some really nice insights all echoing the Von Hippel mantra in his book “Democratizing Innovation”. If you haven’t read it, do get a copy; in an ispired move he has made it available free under a creative commons license.

I find this fascinating from a design perspective. In the end, the solutions he is identifying are user focused and based on insights from employees. The obstacles he encounters are all about organisational inertia and accepted practice. How often have design practitioners encountered the same problems?

There is a small but well formed resource to back this up courtesy of the Open University.