Implementing user innovation: case mobile web server beta

摘要

Open innovation is challenging the traditional model of closed innovation in research and product development. The idea is to open the boundaries of a firm and let external influences take part in the development processes. One way of utilizing open innovation is to involve the so-called lead users via user innovation methods. The concept of MWS ”an Internet server in the phone” is an original Nokia Research Center innovation. It is a fully-fledged HTTP server that has been adapted to Nokia's Symbian smartphones. This makes it possible to use the phone features remotely from anywhere over the Internet. For the user of the phone this opens up new possibilities to use the device for example as a remote camera or data storage. If the user chooses it is also possible to open up access to the phone for friends which creates new possibilities for sharing information and communication. The methods of open innovation were utilized in the project in many ways. First of all most of the required technology was based on open source software, such as Apache HTTP Server and Python scripting language. By employing open source software the project was able to concentrate on integration to the smartphone platform. It was also thought that using open source software components it would be easier to motivate new developers to come up with new innovative uses for technology solution. In the MWS beta project the idea was to make the service accessible for a wider base of lead users in the mobile world. It was thought that involving lead users would lead to the discovery of new use cases for the technology. Several methods and tools for user innovation were employed in this phase of the project, such as discussion boards, a blog and direct communication channels. This thesis work documents the phases of the beta project and the results of user innovation. /Kir10