Let your customers do things for you. The company saves on staff and the customers feel involved. Can you take tasks off your customers' hands instead of doing them for them? Think about Ikea’s furniture or Lego.

When and how to apply Do-it-yourself:

This pattern shifts part of the value-creation work from your company to the customer, in exchange for a lower price, faster service, or a greater sense of involvement. It works particularly well for tasks that add relatively little perceived value when performed by staff but cost the company meaningfully to provide, such as basic assembly, self-check-in, or configuration - customers who complete these steps themselves save the company labor cost while often experiencing the process as faster or more satisfying than waiting for staff assistance. Design the self-service experience carefully so it feels empowering rather than like offloaded work, typically through clear instructions, good tooling, and a visible price or time benefit that makes the trade-off obviously worthwhile to the customer.

Well-known companies that use this pattern are Ikea and Lego.