Fun or frustration? How emotions shape user innovation processes

The paper explores how emotions influence innovation processes by users. User innovation research identifies an own need for a solution and/or enjoyment of experimenting with ideas as main drivers of innovation. The paper argues for a detailed view on the variety of emotions which contribute to user innovation processes and explores differences between user innovation processes that are primarily initiated in order to change an unsatisfactory situation and those initiated by enthusiastic engagement. The paper mainly draws on literature from emotional and economic geography. Theoretical starting point is a practice approach to creativity and innovation, emphasizing the importance of socio-material engagement and interaction for innovation. Empirically, the paper presents results from two innovation biographies. The pathways of an inhalation tool for children and the activity of geocaching have been reconstructed through time and space. The paper illustrates how emotional engagement affects user innovation processes and presents differences and similarities between the two innovations. The results demonstrate how both innovation paths were characterized by open search processes. However, while the process of the inhalation tool was focused on altering a specific situation, geocaching rather provided a purpose for ongoing tinkering with technology.