Thomas Jelle is the managing director of Wireless Trondheim Ltd and an assistant professor in the Department of Telematics at Norwegian University of Science & Technology.

Experts and entrepreneurs from around the world discuss what governments can do to promote high-tech entrepreneurship and what the shape of technology entrepreneurship will be in the future.

Since the emergence of social media such as Facebook, consumers have a new way to share their opinions with providers of services and products. If enough consumers have similar interests and speak with a united voice, they are likely to be heard. They provide valuable feedback to producers, allowing them to adapt their existing products to new trends or user demands.

Across Europe users have been heard and have had influence on products and services. But why not use consumers in the product development process as well? It can be of great value if done correctly.

Developing new products or services, especially those involving advanced technology, can take years. Even if you have an idea for a product or service that is perfect the day you came up with it, that product or service may be obsolete once it hits the market as society’s and users’ needs change. By involving the consumer in all stages of product development, you will be able to adapt your product to the changing trends and avoid costly or impossible changes just before your product is ready. By keeping the processes open and involving the user, you can accelerate innovation while minimizing the risk of a product failure. Furthermore, this will ensure that when your product reaches the market, it will really sell, and that is what innovation is all about.

Governments that want to pave the way for innovative initiatives should help establish arenas for open innovation [making the boundaries between the firm and its environment more porous to facilitate two-way innovation transfer]. These are arenas, or “living labs,” where producers can develop and test products together with the consumer. Several living labs have been set up in Europe in the last few years, and they are starting to spread to other parts of the world.

I believe that the best way to utilize living labs is to link them with business incubation centers or universities, while maintaining close ties between the public sector and businesses. In Norway, we have set up Wireless Trondheim Living Lab as a collaborative effort between the public and private sectors, with the Norwegian University of Technology and Science as a key player. So far the results are promising, with new companies being established and new products being developed. Wireless Trondheim Living Lab and three other Nordic living labs have developed a toolbox that describes the experience of and techniques for user-driven innovation.