Leaduser.com provides useful information links for those interested in academic lead user research, or interested in lead user consulting projects for firms involving graduate student training or research.
What is a lead user?
Prof. Eric von Hippel coined the term "lead user" in 1986 for a specific type of user of a product or service having two characteristics: (1) They are at the leading edge of important market trends and; (2) they have a strong incentive to find solutions for the novel needs they encounter at the leading edge. Due to these characteristics, research from numerous scholars has repeatedly shown that:
Lead users often have to develop the new products and services they need for themselves - they become user-innovators;
Products that lead users develop often become the basis for important commercial products when lead user needs become mainstream.