CROWDSOURCING: DESIGNER KICKS

Another example of community driven design.
Just like Threadless, designers can now design their own sneakers on RYZ. The start up began as a project with two heavy weights from Adidas and Nike.

I had heard about it on WFYI/NPR this during my morning commute downtown to Carmel. The sneakers pictured above were designed specifically for NPR.

Designers Download a template for the shoe dimensions/layout and post the designs on the site. Then the consumer votes on the winning design. For the winning sneakers, Oregon based RYZ is offering a purse of $1000 for the design (plus 1% royalties). Not to mention the retail pricing is good- $90.00 compared to the designer Nike shoe which is around $200.

When companies utilize "crowdsourcing" there's constantly a conversation, or a VOC (voice of the customer or consumer). This is good news for those of us that are tired of being told by "the man" what we should like in our products and services. You design your own high-top sneakers or atleast you get to choose what designs you want to wear.

My only suggestion is that they will open the "high top sneaker design" to other types of shoe designs-I'm a slipper shoe/high-heeled shoe type of gal. It would rock my world if Urban Outfitters took the same model as RYZ.