An Approach for the Industrial Designer to Incorporate Virtual DIY Communities as a Resource in Product Design

Abstract

Product development by industrial designers is an expensive, time consuming, risky process. It requires a significant dedication of resources and capital. However, the DIY community consistently produces innovative, unique solutions with minimal investment. These individual development efforts are often assisted by online communities arranged around common interests. The practical knowledge and experience available in online forums, blogs, newsgroups and build logs could be an important resource to designers if they know where to look and are willing to become part of these communities. This research provides an example of a portion of the design process conducted with assistance from virtual DIY communities.