Open Evaluation: Integrating Users into the Selection of New Product Ideas

Selecting new product or service ideas that are worthwhile to be exploited has always been a major challenge to firms of all kinds. Recent developments, however, add a new facet to the evaluation challenge. Initiatives such as innovation contests, in which interested users may submit their ideas or solutions to firm relevant problems, frequently lead to several tens of thousands of submissions. Consequently, solutions are needed that help identifying the most promising ideas. Jörg Haller proposes a potential solution: open evaluation. Based on both qualitative and quantitative research, the author examines design options, strategies, and the capacity of open evaluation to efficiently and effectively support decision-making for innovation.
Contents:
The Context of Open Evaluation: Innovation Contests
The Design Elements and Objectives of Open Evaluation
Key Factors affecting the Output of Open Evaluation
The Capacity of Open Evaluation for Idea Selection
How to Make the Crowd Your Jury
Target Groups:
Researchers and students interested in the latest advances in research on open and user innovation
Managers dealing with new product development, innovation management, and/or the design of information systems.