Network theory, Value co- creation and design in open innovation environments

Value co-creation has emerged as a new innovation paradigm emphasizing that customers and end users should be considered as active participants in the design and development of personalized products, services, and experiences. 1 It is based on the design and implementation of customer participation platforms, providing firms with the technological and human resources, tools, and mechanisms to benefit from the engagement experiences of individuals and communities as a new basis of value creation. According to the notion of co-creation, if a user or customer is involved in the design or production of a product or service, the end value will be enhanced for both, the customers and the firm, because of the opportunity for customers to creatively contribute to the design and innovation processes by tailoring the product according to their own personal visions. 2 Co-creation therefore refers to collaboration with customers for the purposes of innovation. 3 Even though the end user is the ultimate destination of the value creation process, the interaction between designers/innovators and end users is not merely a bi-directional process since it incorporates the contingency of the activities performed by the different actors contributing to the emergence of customer value. The conceptualization of the contingent nature and the multiplicity of agency as well as the emergent nature of customer value have created challenges for design and innovation researchers requiring a deeper and more symmetrical understanding of the interaction between designers, innovators, customers and end users. As result, there is a need for a better understanding of the