{"id":82593,"date":"2011-08-03T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2011-08-02T22:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.richardvanhooijdonk.com\/co-creation-co-design\/"},"modified":"2011-08-03T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2011-08-02T22:00:00","slug":"co-creation-co-design","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.richardvanhooijdonk.com\/en\/co-creation-co-design\/","title":{"rendered":"Co-creation & Co-design: Building Products With Your Customers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This article was originally published in Dutch in 2011 and has been translated and updated in October 2026.<\/em><\/p>\n

It fits the spirit of the times perfectly: the tools are available and producers are increasingly willing. The era of dictating to customers is over. Creating value together, that is the present and the future. Imagine being part of the development of a (new) product from a brand you care about and have been loyal to for years. The time has come for your loyalty to be rewarded, for your needs to be met and for an end to products that nobody actually wants. It is time for co-creation and co-design.<\/strong><\/p>\n

This article introduces you to this innovative way of producing, walks you through the ‘pains & pleasures’ and shows a number of real-world examples to inspire you to get started yourself.<\/p>\n

What are we actually talking about?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Because co-creation and co-design are often mentioned in the same breath, here is the distinction between the two. This article gives examples of both co-design and co-creation.<\/p>\n

Co-creation is a situation in which an organisation creates value by entering into a collaboration with a group of consumers, end users or other stakeholders.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

and<\/p>\n

Co-design is a process in which consumers or end users are involved in developing new, customer-focused products or services. The input of consumers or end users in this process is aimed at creating value within an organisation.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Pains & Pleasures<\/strong><\/p>\n

Co-creation comes with a number of ‘pains & pleasures’<\/em>. Some of them are listed below.<\/p>\n

Pains & Pleasures<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Pains<\/span><\/th>\nPleasures<\/span><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Change takes time, and therefore money<\/span><\/td>\nCollaboration leads to better creations<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Collaborating is harder than competing<\/span><\/td>\nDialogue adds depth<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Customer-centric business is new, which brings a lot of resistance<\/span><\/td>\nPositive effect on effectiveness<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Legally, it is difficult to determine who owns the (new) creation<\/span><\/td>\nPositive effect on brand image<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/span><\/td>\nPositive effect on loyalty<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/span><\/td>\nGreater visibility<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/span><\/td>\nBetter insight into customer needs<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/span><\/td>\nBetter insight into market needs<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Depending on the situation and the objectives, there are even more ‘pleasures’<\/em> to be named.<\/p>\n

Examples from practice<\/strong><\/p>\n

Below are a number of practical examples of companies and brands that applied this way of creating. In some of these examples, social media were also used to put the method into practice. Bear in mind that these examples date from around 2011; several of the campaigns and platforms mentioned have since ended or changed form.<\/p>\n

Lay’s - Make the flavour<\/h2>\n

In 2011, this crisp-making giant caused a real revolution in co-design by combining a range of social media with other media such as television, print and radio. Below is a video featuring one of the commercials, which was used both online (YouTube) and on television.<\/p>\n