How to Encourage the Crowd? A Study about User Typologies and Motivations on Crowdsourcing Platforms

Studies about user participation on crowd sourcing platforms have revealed lists of different motivational factors. Reward and payment seems to be crucial at least on market places for creative ideas or workforce. However, past surveys or experiments mostly concentrated on one platform each with little theoretic background. The present exploratory study within the theoretic frame of motivation and creativity science appealed to more heterogeneity of platforms to be analyzed. Thus a broader view on user motivation was possible and a typology of crowdsourcers revealed four clusters of different platform users: female creatives, male technicians, academics and alternative all-rounders.