Open & User Innovation at Fluevog

What amazing timing! Last night I had the pleasure of talking open and user innovation with my Management of Technology MBA students. We covered organizations that won’t accept ideas from their community (think Disney). But we also discussed great practices for engaging with your customers, clients, and broader community to innovate and meet customer needs.

Today, I received a marketing email from Fluevog -- I’m a happy subscriber to this avant-garde Vancouver-based shoe company’s notes. Today’s email was an invitation to Flummunity Fest 2022. Given I work 15 minutes from Fluevog HQ, I thought I should get a ticket and check out this energetic community. Clearly, the company was practicing a special kind of design.

Then it hit me. I didn’t own a pair of their shoes. I’ve happily window (and web) shopped but never closed the deal. I’d be deemed an interloper at Flummunity Fest without the right footwear. I took my daily walk toward Fluevog’s combination store, design studio, and headquarters.

Meeting John Fluevog

As I tried on the Domingos and the Nortons, I wandered around checking the fit. A stylish gentleman with amazing glasses asked me how it was going. It was John Fluevog (I had an inkling, but he thankfully introduced himself). The stars had aligned to find me cool shoes in the right size and the chance to talk to an iconic designer and entrepreneur.

I shared my role at SFU and that we’d just been talking about “user” communities and innovation in class. I told him that the email about Flummunity Fest was the trigger for my visit.

John shared a bit of the history and answered my community innovation questions. Flummunity Fest is the result of the community coming together on its own. He is both appreciative and careful to note their autonomy. That said, the connection seems tighter this year with the event in Vancouver. I’m looking forward to the talks, including one by Bernadette Croft, costume designer for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds™. 

User Innovation

Organizations can be fortunate and have a community gel, but they can also be proactive when it comes to engaging with their community for innovation. In the case of user innovation, Fluevog has a formal system. In this 2006 New York Times article by William C. Taylor, To Charge Up Customers, Put Customers in Charge, John says:

"Some of the ideas from customers are striking, but impossible to make," Mr. Fluevog said. What tends to work best, he explained, are intriguing twists on design themes that he and his colleagues are already exploring. "But even submissions we can't make add to the stimulation," he added. "Our customers get more involved, and we get insights into who they are and what they're doing. It's better for both of us."

Here’s the link to the current call for design ideas. This open source process is a great example for my students, given how clearly the Fluevog site spells out the process, including an answer to this question about selected styles:

 Will I be rich?

Quite possibly, but probably not from this. Nobody gets paid for Open Source Footwear designs because nobody owns them. Once you send us your design, it becomes public domain and freely available to all. We may use the whole thing, base a design of our own on it, or just use a part of it in one of John’s own designs.

What Am I Wearing to Flummunity Fest?

From this photo, you’ll know that I’m not a fashion stylist. But am excited to see these boots sparkle as I talk to people about their Fluevog stories. Thank you to John for checking in with this happy customer. Thank you to the patient staff who helped me find the right pair - taking extra time given my break for conversation. More after Flummunity Fest….

MOT Students

When we cover prototyping, we’ll be back to the Fluevog open source submission site. Stay tuned.