A typology of user innovation

A growing literature shows user innovators to be a prolific source of innovation, thus challenging the “corporate view” of innovation. A significant share of users innovates outside firms during their discretionary time without pay. In this research note, we argue that the phenomenon of user innovation has become diversified over time. Whereas much research focuses on product innovation by users outside firms, we present a conceptual framework rooted in prior research to show that user innovation also arises in other forms and areas, which also benefit, or even blend with, corporate innovation in important ways. We identify research opportunities as well as linkages to adjacent research areas that are profitable to explore further.