Making things is part of who we are. With the possibilities provided by digital media, we’re shifting from random acts of creativity by everyday people to organized initiatives like crowd funding. As innovation challenges are evolving from product attributes to holistic brand design, service design and the experience environment, there’s a need to collaborate with users beyond co-creation. By involving them earlier in the process through observational research and also in the back end of innovation by testing beta products, users can become your partner in innovation.