Putting Customers In Charge

An article in the NY Times looks at the concept of asking your customers to help you design your product and looks at three companies taking the idea to heart: Threadless t shirts, Jones Soda and John Fluevog Shoes.

In a time of ever more talented technology enthusiasts, hobbyists and do-it-yourselfers, all connected by Internet-enabled communication… the most intensely engaged users of a product often find new ways to enhance it long before its manufacturer does. Thus… companies that aspire to stand out in fast-moving markets would be wise to invite their smartest users into the product design process.

To Charge Up Customers, Put Customers in Charge – New York Times