Redesign of RedesignMe: Dutch user innovation catalyst starts new service

Everybody knows about some product he or she struggles with once in a while. Maybe you even thought of a solution. Now you can upload these solutions to a website and share them with the world.

RedesignMe is a great Dutch company focusing on open innovation and user co-design, It was founded by designer Maxim Schram who was frustrated that he had some great ideas how to improve existing products, but had not opportunity to get companies listen to his ideas.

So he started his own web site posting his ideas for improvements – and inviting others to do the same. 

His company, RedesignMe, aims to improve the products and services around us by collectively rethinking bad products into better products and good ideas into great ideas. The offering is called Design Critique. Maxim even came up with a simple toolkit so that users are able to quickly capture ideas. Actually it is not more than a simple, easy to use drawing tool that allows you to draw on a photo of a product. But is a great help to really express what you are going to say.

With Design Critique, RedesignMe collects the best product improvements based on their users input and communicates that back to the original product designers & producers.

RedesignMe contacts the companies behind the products in question to show them the feedback and encourages them to reply directly to the users and eventually fix the problems.

RedesignMe also encourages the companies to work more closely with their end-users by setting up RDM Challanges, their second product.

RDM Challenges are conceptual or design-driven challenges initiated by companies that want to involve their customers more closely into their product development process. RDM Challenges clearly describe a (design) problem and participating users are rewarded for their input through their RDM system. Feedback can be in form of a comment, sketch, set of pictures, mood-board, movie, prototype or total redesign. They just started the first RDM Challenge for the DECT Forum, for concepts based around their new CAT-iq technology: http://cat-iq.redesignme.com

As an incentive, participants can earn points (RDMs) by co-designing products with manufacturers. They can redeem these RDMs in their online shop.

In a short while, RedsignMe also plans to introduce the "RDM Challenge Pro", where they invite people to come to our office to co-design products, and discuss with manufacturers.

So another opportunity for you, the consumer, to place your creative ideas.