Not Amateurs, Enthusiasts!

Lego got it. They turned over a huge chunk of the design tasks for their Mindstorm robot kits to the fans. What’d they get back? All kinds of ideas and products they didn’t expect. Apple has a sidebar on the Mac Mini page showing all the various modifications people have performed on their Minis, personalizing them. More and more, companies are opening themselves up to allow their customers and users to make products their own.
I think it should go even further.
Imagine a company hiring straight from the middle of the pool of their biggest fans. The guys who created their own Star Trek series in their garage, New Voyages, might find themselves hired, given the grassroots success of their efforts. I think this is the way to go. Who better to put on your team than the people most passionate about doing something with your products and services?
Okay, it doesn’t always work out. Rabid fans don’t always have qualifications, but even they shouldn’t be dismissed. Tom Kelly of Ideo tells the story of the foot fetishists. It turns out that even though they’re way on the fringe, folks who have a huge fetish around feet make a GREAT pool of research for ideas around shoes. So, let’s throw the rabid fans to the sideline for a moment.
Are you following YouTube? This place is a hotbed of micro creative content. I checked out a spot on Google Video for something they’ve got going on called “Google Idol.” Believe me, these guys made the losers on American Idol seem talented. And yet, it made for something entertaining to watch. I could see throwing product marketing money at a group like this, around their viral catchyness, and making inroads with a crowd that’s increasingly more difficult to market to.
One way that people hold themselves back is by assuming they need specific credentials to take on specific roles. Bull, I say. If you can *do* the work, it shouldn’t matter that you’ve got accredation to back it up. (Okay, I want my surgeons to be really well documented, but that’s different, right?)
I’m sitting in a Border’s cafe, talking with someone with a degree in communication who can’t find a gig. I asked if they’d tried pitching mock packages around products they liked. Nope. To me, that’s a great way in. Especially a great way into a company that you want to work for. Did you hear about the guy who said, “I’m a great designer, and Apple should hire me. Here’s why.” Apple looked at his site, his demonstration, and they said, “Okay, you can have a job.” (Of course, the guy backed out at the last minute, realizing what he’d have to give up to take the job, but that’s not the point).
What would you call a dream job? What’s keeping you from going for it? Why shouldn’t you try?
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