Crowdsourcing is when a company or person asks a large group of people (often online) for help or ideas.
What is Crowdsourcing?
Crowdsourcing is the process of obtaining ideas, services, content, or solutions from a large group of people, typically through the Internet. It leverages collective intelligence and diverse perspectives to;
- Address challenges
- Create innovations
- Complete tasks
Definition of Crowdsourcing
Crowdsourcing is collecting ideas, services, or content from a large group of people. A people-centric approach allows businesses to create tailored products or services. Unlike traditional product ideation, crowdsourcing lets the public directly participate in the development process.
Crowdsourcing is widely used in marketing and product development to gather input efficiently and cost-effectively. The word “crowd” in “crowdsourcing” defines people not involved in the business, such as employees and shareholders.
Types of Crowdsourcing
Businesses use crowdsourcing in multiple ways. Here are a few of them:
1. Idea Crowdsourcing
This type involves gathering ideas from a large group of people to help solve a problem or improve a product. Lays ran a campaign where people could submit new chip flavors. The winning flavor would be produced and sold, allowing Lays to crowdsource creative ideas from their customers.
2. Crowdsource Designs
In this type, businesses ask the crowd to submit designs for products, logos, or other creative assets. 99designs is a platform where businesses post design projects and designers worldwide submit their work. The best design is chosen, and the designer gets paid.
3. Crowdsources Funding
Crowdfunding is a popular form of crowdsourcing where people contribute money to fund a project or idea. Kickstarter allows creators to raise money for their products or creative projects. People can donate money to support a project they believe in, often in exchange for early access or rewards.
4. Problem-Solving
This involves seeking solutions to specific challenges or problems. The crowd provides solutions, which businesses then evaluate and implement. NASA uses crowdsourcing to solve complex space-related issues, such as analyzing data from the Mars Rover. The public can help by offering solutions to scientific challenges.
Benefits of Crowdsourcing
Here are the benefits of taking group ideas:
- It taps into various perspectives, leading to more creative and innovative solutions.
- It is less expensive than hiring experts or conducting in-house research, as it often relies on voluntary or low-cost contributions.
- By engaging a large group of people, crowdsourcing can accelerate the solution-finding process and enable quicker results.
- It allows businesses to scale their efforts, reach a global audience, and obtain large volumes of input or work.
- It allows businesses to tap into various types of expertise or skills based on the specific needs of the task or project.
