Sharing Economy, Platforms, and Crowds
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Paper Number
1588
Paper Type
Completed
Description
Problem specification is a key aspect in crowdsourcing contests through which seekers convey their requirements and taste for the desired submissions. Hence, it is important to understand how problem specification should be framed to achieve better crowdsourcing contest outcomes. In this empirical study, we investigate the effects of a relatively more structured problem specification on contest quantity, solver quantity, and idea quality. We leverage a natural experiment set up on a major crowdsourcing contest platform where the problem specification of logo design contests changed from open-ended to structured. Our results show that the specification change impacts both seekers and solvers. Specifically, the number of contests increases after the change but solver quantity and idea quality in the respective contests tend to be lower. We discuss the theoretical and practical contributions of this research.
Recommended Citation
Ye, Kai and Koh, Tat Koon, "Problem Specification in Crowdsourcing Contests: A Natural Experiment" (2023). ICIS 2023 Proceedings. 4.
https://aisel.aisnet.org/icis2023/sharing_econ/sharing_econ/4
Problem Specification in Crowdsourcing Contests: A Natural Experiment
Problem specification is a key aspect in crowdsourcing contests through which seekers convey their requirements and taste for the desired submissions. Hence, it is important to understand how problem specification should be framed to achieve better crowdsourcing contest outcomes. In this empirical study, we investigate the effects of a relatively more structured problem specification on contest quantity, solver quantity, and idea quality. We leverage a natural experiment set up on a major crowdsourcing contest platform where the problem specification of logo design contests changed from open-ended to structured. Our results show that the specification change impacts both seekers and solvers. Specifically, the number of contests increases after the change but solver quantity and idea quality in the respective contests tend to be lower. We discuss the theoretical and practical contributions of this research.
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08-Sharing