3pointD.com

Rivers Run Red’s latest project is to bring Philips Design to the virtual world of Second Life, where they will seek to “gain feedback on innovation concepts, engage residents in cocreation and gain a deeper understanding of potential opportunities in this virtual environment.” Sounds like a nice way to enter the virtual world.

Philips will also have a space in SL for testing “virtual concepts,” according to a Rivers press release, and will also seek to involve residents in “co-design projects.”

“In this way, Second Life users can have a greater say in the kind of colors, ergonomics, functionality and other features of products they may wish to buy in this virtual world,” the release says. This “corresponds to Philips Design’s firm belief that the future of design lies in the co-creation of products.”

Which, when you think about it, could be really cool. It sounds like Philips will launch a presence in SL where they will get feedback from residents that would probably find its way into real-world products eventually. Of course, people will complain that Philips is farming free labor in the virtual world, but that seems to be part of the increasingly participatory economy that’s being created by the Web — and now its 3D extension in places like Second Life. At least we’re moving from a time when companies took no outside input at all to a time in which they’re actively seeking it. It’s arguable whether they’ll need to start paying for this kind of feedback, but for the moment it makes for a very interesting experiment. I look forward to seeing results.