We aim to answer following RQ: How to create a boundary innovation space to activate user driven or user-inspired innovations?
RELEASING THE POWER OF USERS
Professor Elin M. Oftedal
The users voices in the innovation process
In this part of the project, we explore ways to involve users more systematically and in a more coordinated fashion, to improve the interaction pathways to better involve the user voices in the innovation process.
It will draw on ongoing processes based on existing experiences of Innovation Labs, Living Labs, and other innovation spaces around the world and emerging best practices within them, offering a ‘boundary space’ for articulation, prototyping, pilot, and scaling activities.
The users interest and involvement
Situating ourselves in the learning community which has emerged around the Norwegian Smart Care Cluster (NSCC) and its Norwegian Smart Care Lab (NSCL), we are active in foregrounding the issues of user interest and involvement in the experiments within the lab.
We also work closely with the Citizen Lab in the Netherlands. The TechMed Centre of the University of Twente, in collaboration with health organizations, patient organizations, municipalities, and employer’s organizations, is in the process of setting up a Citizen lab aimed at facilitating the co-creation of innovations for healthy living, taking the situation and perspective of citizens as the starting point.
ACTIVITIES
We have done three “user cafés” (workshops), including two pilot Zoom-meeting exercises and one physical workshop.
- Theme: Fire safety at home. This pilot was launched with the Rogaland Fire Department and 12 elder people. The team had a positive experience with these users and many ideas were generated. It was noted that this panel was very up to date on technical aids and with the topic and perhaps not representative for the typical user. Who Concerns fire protection? Webinar at the Smart Care Cluster, April 20th 2021. (In Norwegian) External site. Pdf's of presentation at the bottom of the site. Who Concerns fire protection? Webinar at the Smart Care Cluster, April 20th 2021. (In Norwegian) External site. Pdf's of presentation at the bottom of the site.
- Theme: What is needed for me to take the step and acquire welfare technology? The second pilot was done with a welfare technology company Sensio, and a group of elder people, municipalities, and researchers. It focused on people who are at the early stage of dementia, to explore their needs and potential help that could be offered.
- Theme: Using Digital Services. This third user café was a physical session with a company Kakadu. Kakadu is working on a solution that can help people to learn to use digital tools and services. Elder people and the municipality representatives were invited to the session that worked to find their needs and suggestions for developing this solution.
European Network of Living Labs (ENoLL)
We are in contact with the members of the European Network of Living Labs (ENoLL), which is a special project for Judy and Elisa. A user panel management sharing session was held on 22 November 2021, with NSCL, LiCalab from Belgium, and members from the Releasing project team, for exchanging knowledge and experiences about managing user panels and the activities. It also brought in opportunities for further collaboration among the participants.