Here you get another take in my series of good and bad examples on crowdsourcing. This time, it is not so positive as it has been with LEGO and Amazon.
The key message: If you can’t find it, you can’t contribute. That is the key reflection I get when set out to explore the innovation challenge initiative by Transport for London.
The case: Yes, they actually have a good initiative for trying to get users of the transporation systems as well as their partners help solve their key challenges.
It is just a shame that they have hidden it so far away on their site that it is almost impossible to find even if you know what you are looking for.
Hey, a challenge for you! Check their website and see how fast you can find the challenge. It did not go well, right?
The lessons: You need to pay much attention to the user experience when you integrate such initiatives on a corporate website.
You also need to consider the signal you send on such initiatives. Does the low visibility mean that this is not really important for the company or organization? This question is asked not only by external users or partners, but also by the employees. Here you start influencing the perception of innovation initiatives and the innovation culture that you are trying to build and in this case, it is pulling to a negative.
So the last lesson is that there is no reason to do things like this if you are not serious about it. You can do more harm than good.
Hint: Your first click should be Business & Partners. Still a way to go : – )
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