Centered around ideas, the Nosco App resembles chat software more than it does an innovation tool. It is a very simple, highly optimized web-based platform in which organizations can launch both campaigns and run suggestion boxes. Subscribers to the service are able to create their own custom idea submission forms and can access real-time analytics reports regarding activity surrounding their idea campaigns.
With its main application, Nosco offers three services – Test & Drive, Idea Management Program, and Idea Workshops. All three come with the guidance of a Nosco representative to help organizations work through a 3-month idea campaign, a full idea management cycle and a workshop/brainstorming session respectively all using the Nosco App.
Two of Nosco’s most useful features are its activity feed and split-screen design. The activity feed is user-specific and highlights in an easy-to-read feed any comments or actions made to ideas created by the users. The application’s split-screen design is highly useful in that it allows users to search and scroll through ideas or comments whilst reading their contents at the same times.
The platform is accessible via the web and is compatible with mobile devices. Clients can sign up and sign in to the application quickly and easily through Nesco’s website.
While not suitable as a complete innovation management solution, the simplicity and robustness of Nosco’s application make it suitable for a variety of uses. Larger companies can benefit from its no-frills ease of use to quickly set up customer-facing campaigns with very little effort. Corporations such as Pentax, Billabong and Microsoft have all used Nosco for this purpose. Smaller startup companies could use Nosco for a quick, low-cost idea management and collaboration tool.