User generated Content in researching for Design

The Internet is changing the way we gather knowledge and create content. Our research has studied this user generated content over the Internet and its relevance to the design process. Following in the path laid out by researchers in participatory design, this study should be considered as another example of a means for designers to perceive tacit needs by allowing for users to express their ideas freely and intuitively. By combining techniques such as crowdsourcing and brainstorming, we have created a new activity and the neologism: brainsourcing. With some perspective on the sum of the participants' ideas, the designers can better understand the complexity of the design situation. While remaining in a form of reflective practice, the designers can then reflect and add upon the users' generated content which is unbiased by a design education or design culture. Keywords: Design research, complexity, participatory design, user generated content, democratization, Internet, creativity, crowdsourcing, brainstorming, brainsourcing, reflection-in-action.