Nokia Crowdsources All That Boring “Design” Business

You know what? Nokia’s just about had it with you guys complaining about the design of their devices. Let’s see you do better, the company says. No, really, use this panel of sliders and buttons to design your dream phone.

The Design by Community project kicked off last week and will run through May. Every week, users will have the chance to vote on a different aspect of the fantasy phone’s design. This first week focuses on the device’s display and user interface, letting users pick their ideal screen size, keypad, secondary buttons and the rest. Following weeks include size and shape, materials, operating system, connectivity, and more. Democracy! It worked for America, so why not for your smartphone?

Sadly, Nokia says it has no plans to actually build the device, though the company will be posting interviews with members of its design team and comments from “key bloggers” as the phone takes shape. In May, after you’ve slid your sliders and cast your votes, Nokia will create a series of concept sketches to cap the whole project off. Then, looking at them, they’ll wonder, “why don’t we actually make this thing?” [Nokia Conversations]