Business from technology
Owela Co-innovate the future with consumers online O we la is an online innovation space that helps companies to co-design new and improve existing products and services based on consumer needs and ideas. Owela supports active user involvement in the innovation process from the first ideas to piloting and actual use.
http : // owela .vtt.fi
Challenges
Our solution
Benefits
• Do you understand the needs of your customers? • Do you know how your customers would improve the user experience of your products? • Are you able to interact with the users of your products? • Do you want to reach new customers, but are unsure of their real needs?
Owela helps you to increase the quality of your products and bring them faster to market. User-driven product design ensures the acceptance and user experience of the products.
• Easy and quick set-up • Fast and direct feedback from end-users • Reach of large amount of users internationally • Interactive relationship with the users • Affordable • Tailored to your needs
User involvement throughout the innovation process
www.vtt.fi
Owela services 2011-2012 Owela Mini • Goal: Evaluation of a product or service concept • Duration: 2-4 weeks • Users: 50 Finnish users from the company’s target group • Result: Thorough feedback and new ideas to product development • Price: 5000 Euro • Example: Evaluation of the Suomi.fi website design (State Treasure)
Owela Standard • Goal: Co-design of a new product or service
Customer experiences of Owela co-design projects
concept • Duration: 4-8 weeks • Users: 50-100 users from the company’s target group • Methods: Discussion, user blogs, ideation, mini
“This was really, really positive experience! We can recommend Owela for our colleagues: it’s that easy – and fun!” - Marko Latvanen, Web editor, Suomi.fi, State Treasure
polls, chat sessions • Result: Clear understanding of user needs, plenty of new ideas and validated product concepts, thorough feedback to product development • Price: 15000 Euro • Example: Co-design of cloud service concepts
“Owela allowed for continuous and rich interaction with the respondents of a consumer study. F-Secure obtained ideas for new concepts and received valuable insights into consumers’ usage and perceptions of cloud services.” - Ville Nore, Usability Specialist & Camilla Magnusson, Business Development Manager, F-Secure Oyj
(F-Secure Oyj)
Owela Premium • Goal: Tailored co-design combined with face-toface studies and field tests • Duration: 3-12 months
“Especially valuable for us proved to be the co-creation methods VTT used in the project, namely the Owela community. In it we were able to efficiently test the initial ideas and got a lot of interesting comments and feedback from the end users.” - Kimmo Kivirauma, R&D Director, TeliaSonera
• Users: 50-300 users from the company’s target group • Result: A validated functional prototype based on user needs • Price: 30000 Euro and up • Example: User-driven innovation of an online
Users’ motivations to innovate in Owela • “Innovating is fun!” • “I want to share my ideas with others” • “Together we can create better future” • “It’s easy to participate whenever I have a little time”
social media service Mobideas (Movial Oy)
Owela participation since 2007 • 3035 users • 53 project spaces • 10800 ideas and feedback
Additional information Pirjo Näkki, Research Scientist
Harri Nurmi, Customer Manager
Tel. +358 20 722 5897
Tel. +358 20 722 6199
pirjo.nakki@vtt.fi
harri.nurmi@vtt.fi
Asta Bäck, Principle Scientist, Team Leader Tel. +358 20 722 4536 asta.back@vtt.fi
VTT TECHNICAL RESEARCH CENTRE OF FINLAND Technology and market foresight • Strategic research • Product and service development • IPR and licensing • Assessments, testing, inspection, certification • Technology and innovation management • Technology partnership