Have you ever urgently needed a logo, a business card, content writing, a usability test, UX evaluation, converting a PSD to HTML, developing a website (the list could go on) and had no one to turn to?
What if, instead of looking for THE person or THE company to solve this problem, we looked for a community?
The term crowdsourcing was first introduced in 2006 by Jeff Howe in a Wired magazine article (The Rise of Crowdsourcing):
Hobbyists, part-timers, and dabblers suddenly have a market for their efforts, as smart companies in industries as disparate as pharmaceuticals and television discover ways to tap the latent talent of the crowd. The labor isn’t always free, but it costs a lot less than paying traditional employees. It’s not outsourcing; it’s crowdsourcing.
Crowdsourcing, which is the practice of using a community of specialized professionals to execute a task, fulfill a specific function on an ad-hoc basis, or even carry out a project, has expanded significantly. It is now an interesting way to meet the needs of startups, small and medium-sized businesses, and even large enterprises.
Crowdsourcing platforms connect companies/individuals who need services with companies/individuals who provide services. 99designs, Envato, and Upwork are examples of places to find professionals and solutions for design, development, and content needs.
Let's see why.
If you need a logo, a business card, a book cover, a T-shirt design, or even a website or app design, you're very likely to find the solution on a crowdsource platform.
The same goes if you want to convert a PSD to HTML, review a text, translate, or even integrate your service with a Google API.
In addition to solving a specific problem, crowdsource platforms are excellent meeting places to identify providers, work together, see if there's a business "fit," and continue working together.
It's practically impossible to ask a designer or an agency for 40 design proposals without going bankrupt or extending project deadlines too much.
The only warning we would give to someone who has never worked under this modality is not to expect that one's indecision will be compensated by the number of proposals that may arrive. In other words, if you generally find it difficult to decide between one version or another, you will have to learn to make quick decisions, as crowdsource platforms generally operate with clear timelines and well-defined milestones.
What is relevant on a crowdsource platform is not necessarily the hourly rate of the provider or professional who will be hired, but rather the time and money saved by avoiding meetings, thanks to management through an agency-like model where the account executive takes charge of the project but not the execution.
Be careful, saving time and money does not mean that on the other side of the planet (or down the street) there will be a mind reader who will magically know what a client needs. Defining small tasks is not synonymous with not making requirements, not detailing, not giving feedback, and basically, not getting involved. In another article, we will give you small tips on how to better approach this way of working.
Once you've identified someone interesting, worked together, and achieved good results, why not hire this person or develop a medium to long-term business relationship? Crowdsource platforms can become excellent sources of referrals for recruiting collaborators: people who can work remotely or even meet in person and continue working together.
Most of these platforms offer the possibility of directly hiring a professional for a "one-to-one" project.
The issue of working hours in remote work and collaboration with people from other countries or continents can be a real advantage. If we see it as an extension of our current office hours, it's great and liberating to know that you wrote a text during the day, needed an English review, and someone in Europe can look at it while you sleep.
Having a plan B and a plan C can be very useful in the context of digital development. In a large company, plan B can mean having an alternative if the team's workload is too high. For an SME or startup, plan B saves the day when a team member is absent or simply a collaborator or provider has left you in the lurch.
When you're in Latin America and working with a crowdsourcing platform, you're very likely to end up collaborating with people from India, the United States, Romania, or Russia, which adds an international component to the team and can frankly be very enriching.
These are tasks that can be delegated very well in this service modality:
- Logo and brand image design (excellent alternative for a startup).
- Design of corporate presentation materials such as business cards, reports, templates.
- Design of merchandising such as mugs, T-shirts, editorial design.
- Graphic design in the broadest sense.
- Web design.
- HTML creation (e.g., converting a PSD to HTML/CSS).
- Development or customization of WordPress sites.
- QA testing.
- Usability testing. Content writing.
- Proofreading and translation.
- Development projects.
At FREED, we have mainly worked with 99designs and Envato. We have also been testing UpWork (formerly oDesk) and Elance, without going further in project completion, but we definitely see tremendous potential there for carrying out specific initiatives, finding talent, and partners.
While some may be reluctant to transfer tasks to a community outside the company (which, by the way, is very likely to be on the other side of the planet), for those who see the benefits and the immense creative potential behind these processes, crowdsourcing is not a threat but an opportunity.
What experience have you had with crowdsourcing?
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