Abstract
Consumer 3D printing can enrich our lives in many ways if it spreads beyond its current user base and emerges as a mainstream consumer technology that allows us to create (customized) products right in our homes. In this paper, we highlight the importance of open design communities (ODCs) such as Thingiverse and explore factors that may influence individuals’ intentions to contribute their 3D printable designs to such communities. Drawing mostly from the existing knowledge management (KM) literature in the information systems (IS) field and focusing on Thingiverse as an exemplar, we present a conceptual model and testable hypotheses. Data for this study will be collected via an online survey of Thingiverse members. Our findings would not only extend the KM literature in IS into an important non-work related setting and pave the way for future theorizing in this context, but also provide important insights to ODC managers.
Recommended Citation
Baswani, Siddharth; George, Joey; and Townsend, Anthony, "Open Design Communities: An Exploration of Key Factors Influencing Intention to Contribute 3D Printable Designs" (2020). MWAIS 2020 Proceedings. 4.
https://aisel.aisnet.org/mwais2020/4