Consumer co-creation and the ecology of innovation: A living lab approach

Abstract. The paper provides an integrated view of value creation in the development of new products and services related to ICT. We argue that customer integration into the development process as a whole is a key for enhanced innovation processes. Building on early experiences from two projects conducted with a living lab approach we ask how this approach can help organizations utilize important resources in an open innovation system and guide universities – as driving engines in R&D activity systems – to become key players in open innovation systems and to improve their environments for research and education. Exploring the outcome from the projects and how customers are integrated into value creation processes during the course of design and use, we argue that innovation systems management and customer integration are important assets not only to increased efficiency and quality, but also for enhanced innovation. We coin the term ‘ecology of innovation ’ to sum up the potentials related to innovation and value creation