lists and diagrams: DIY iPod stand
A case in point for previous ponderings on open source product design:
Someone thinkns up a novel and highly resourceful way to build a charging stand for the iPod.
They publish a template and instructions for its construction in the form of a PDF on their website.
The author invites others to download, improve and alter the design. (The PDF is published under a creative commons license).
Others do so, and hence the design evolves much as it would in a conventional design process.
Except that there is no one designer: there are numerous offshoots , all of which together represent many unique, user specific solutions to a design problem. No one design can be attributed to one person and the whole design process is propogated by a broad and undefined set of participants, who have not and will never meet, or even discuss.
No one owns the design, the design evolves and reaches market at an incredible pace, it is better for it, (universal and inclusive, having been designed by many varying hands), has the benefit of many minds addressing one problem, it is cheap, effective and sustainable.
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