Design Outsourcing

Here’s an old article from Wired magazine about the rise of Crowdsourcing.
Crowdsourcing is a neologism for the act of taking tasks traditionally performed by an employee or contractor, and outsourcing them to a group (crowd) of people or community in the form of an open call. For example, the public may be invited to develop [...]

Here’s a video about the next major outsourcing destination. The Philippines is known to have good quality education, a multi-cultural ethnic mix, and sensitivity and understanding of the Western culture, having been a Spanish colony for more than 300 years, and an American ally since the end of the 19th century:

Another interesting video that gives you a snapshot of the effects of outsourcing on one country, particularly India.
Have a look and let me know what you think:

No one could argue the success of a man like Steve Jobs who has become one of the most successful entrepreneurs of our time. He started with nothing and went on to create Apple computers with Steve Wozniak. At one point Steve Jobs was the CEO of Pixar Animation Studios. I really enjoyed reading Steve [...]

Prevent Disasters in Design Outsourcing
by Jason Amaral and Geoffrey Parker
Firms that pursue product platform strategies—by leveraging a common set of development, production, and support resources—have been able to outmaneuver competitors by cost-effectively delivering a greater variety of distinctive products. Having succeeded in outsourcing manufacturing, these firms are now also working to outsource the design of [...]

Watch an interesting documentary about the lifestyle of younger generation in India, as a consequence of the outsourcing industry:

Please feel free to comment and let me know what you think.

Outsourcing refers to a company that contracts with another company to provide services that might otherwise be performed by in-house employees. Many large companies now outsource jobs such as call center services, e-mail services, and payroll. These jobs are handled by separate companies that specialize in each service, and are often located overseas.
There are many [...]

Here’s an interesting and in-depth article about product design outsourcing written by BK Sathish from Infosys in India.
Click here for the PDF.
Source: www.infosys.com

Being a creative type, I long for the day when I will become my own boss, work less hours, and live by the beach.  I know a lot of people who share the same dream.  The problem is, we are tied to our day job, trying to survive each day, week, month.  We work hard [...]

Here’s another list of indispensable resources for the freelance professional (regardless of your field):
1.   Freelance Switch -  FreelanceSwitch is a community of expert freelancers from around the world.   They have a website chock-full of relevant resources to suit every freelancer’s needs.  There is a forum, and a job board and free listings/directory.   A must for [...]