Understanding user driven innovation

Innovation occurs in many different forms. Yet regardless of whether innovation is driven by price, technology or user needs, the end goal is the same: that consumers pay for it, companies make a profit, national welfare and competitive strength increases. So the common denominator is the same – a focus on meeting consumer needs. As summarized in this report, various methods for identifying and mo-re effectively meeting consumer needs have been developed. These user-driven innovation methods are being taught and implemented – with very successful results. This paper has presented an overview of user-driven innovation – what it is, where it came from, the two over-arching perspectives and approaches, and examples of how it is being implemented around the world. This paper has also introduced several reasons for public-sector engagement, and provided examples of public sector activities in several countries.