User-centric product and service development in a multi-context living lab environment:case OULLabs and PATIO

Abstract The purpose of this thesis is to increase understanding and provide new knowledge on the applicability and value of the living lab approach in user-centric product and service development in public and private sector. Research has been carried out within the authentic living lab environment of the Oulu Urban Living Labs (OULLabs) and the PATIO user community and user involvement tool in 2011–2018. Empirical evidence is gathered from qualitative living lab case studies conducted in multiple contexts: public service development, commercial product and service development, business accelerating, innovation instruments, public procurement and urban planning. The primary source of information are the 70 in-depth interviews with the customer companies and organizations. Both general and context-specific value of the living lab approach for public and private sector customers are identified. The living lab approach provides an effortless process for user-centric development. Knowledge and practice of user involvement are transferred into customers. The living lab approach supports the development of usable and desirable products and services. The diverse context-specific value of the living lab approach includes, e.g., information for the development and decision making, learning and knowledge, new customer and end-user contacts, increased efficiency, improvement of organizational culture and communication, enhanced quality of products and services, gaining visibility, involvement of citizens and increased productivity. PATIO is perceived as a fast, easy and efficient digital tool to involve users regardless time and location in a living lab environment. The main contribution of the thesis is the new knowledge of less researched long-term and partly novel living lab studies in a remarkable breadth. The findings of the thesis support the adoption of the living lab approach as a natural and continuous practice in a variety of product and service development activities, especially in local innovation ecosystems but also in international environments.Tiivistelmä Tämän tutkimuksen tarkoituksena on lisätä ymmärrystä ja tuottaa uutta tietoa living lab -toimintatavan soveltuvuudesta ja arvosta yritysten ja julkisen sektorin tuote- ja palvelukehityksessä. Tutkimus on toteutettu autenttisessa Oulu Urban Living Labs (OULLabs)- ja PATIO living lab -ympäristössä vuosina 2011‒2018. Tutkimuksen empiiriset todisteet perustuvat laadulliseen tapaustutkimukseen, jossa living lab -menetelmiä ja -työkaluja on hyödynnetty eri konteksteissa: julkisten palvelujen kehittäminen, kaupallisten tuotteiden ja palvelujen kehittäminen, yrityskiihdyttämö, innovaatioinstrumentit, julkiset hankinnat ja kaupunkisuunnittelu. Tutkimuksen pääaineisto koostuu 70:stä yritysten ja muiden sidosryhmien edustajien haastattelusta. Tutkimuksessa on tunnistettu sekä yleisiä että kontekstisidonnaisia living lab -toiminnan hyötyjä julkisen ja yksityisen sektorin asiakkaille. Living lab -toimintatapa tarjoaa vaivattoman prosessin käyttäjäkeskeiseen kehittämiseen sekä lisää uutta tietoa ja uusia käytäntöjä käyttäjien osallistamisesta. Living lab -toimintatapa tukee käytettävien ja haluttujen tuotteiden ja palveluiden kehittämistä. Living labin monet kontekstisidonnaiset hyödyt ovat esimerkiksi informaatio tuote- ja palvelukehityksen ja päätöksenteon tueksi, tiedon ja oppimisen lisääntyminen, prosessien tehostaminen, uudet asiakas- ja loppukäyttäjäkontaktit, tuottavuuden lisääntyminen ja taloudelliset hyödyt, organisaatiokulttuurin ja kommunikaation parantaminen, tuotteiden ja palveluiden parempi laatu, näkyvyyden lisääminen sekä kuntalaisosallistaminen. Digitaalinen käyttäjäyhteisö ja käyttäjien osallistamistyökalu PATIO on nopea, helppo ja tehokas tapa aktivoida käyttäjiä tuote- ja palvelukehitykseen living lab -ympäristössä. Tutkimus tuo uutta tietoa vähän tutkituista pitkän aikavälin living lab -toiminnan tuomista hyödyistä ja uudenlaisista living lab -tutkimuksista merkittävässä laajuudessa. Tulokset tukevat living lab -toiminnan omaksumista luonnolliseksi ja jatkuvaksi osaksi tuotteiden ja palveluiden kehittämistoimintoja paikallisissa innovaatioekosysteemeissä, mutta myös kansainvälisissä toimintaympäristöissä

Digital user involvement in a multi-context living lab environment

Abstract This article provides new knowledge on the long-term use and value of a digital user involvement tool as a part of a living lab particularly in ICT, health and public service development contexts. Research has been carried out within the authentic living lab environment in 2011–2018. Empirical evidence is gathered from case living lab digital user involvement platform and activities conducted in multiple contexts. The primary source of information are the 70 in-depth interviews with the customer companies, public organizations and other stakeholders. The digital user community and user involvement tool-specific value for the development of products and services are a fast, easy and efficient user involvement regardless of time and location, tailored online methods based on the need of the customer, and the richness and quality of the end-user feedback

Imagining better futures for everybody:sustainable entrepreneurship education for future design protagonists

Abstract Previous research has shown the need for children to grow to ‘design protagonists’, developing skills and competences in technology design and being able to reflect on the role of technology in their own lives as well as in the society. Entrepreneurship understanding has been linked as one important competence for design protagonists, for having skills to plan for and reflect on a better future for all of us. To advance understanding on how to support children to grow to design protagonists in areas connected to technology, business, and sustainability, we conducted a study with 14‐15‐year-olds, educating them first about artificial intelligence (AI) and sustainable business thinking, and asking them then to create and present business ideas for sustainable innovations that use AI. Based on the findings, we indicate the need to link systems thinking approaches with this type of education and we provide some recommendations for practice

Innovation instruments to co-create needs-based solutions in a living lab

Abstract This multiple case study focuses on co-creation facilitated with innovation instruments in three different environments — a school, a hospital, and an airport — in which 12 SMEs and startups developed solutions based on predefined needs of customer organizations, and where stakeholders actively participated through user involvement methods facilitated by a living lab. The article provides new knowledge regarding the benefits of the co-creation, user involvement, and use of the living lab approach within different contexts. Our findings show concrete benefits of co-creation for stakeholders such as companies, customer organizations, and end users. Based on our results, we propose a new, generic model for using innovation instruments to facilitate co-creation for the development of needs-based products and services in different service domains

Design elements of innovation contests supporting Open Innovation in SMEs:an action research study

Abstract While innovation contests and intermediaries are widely used in large companies to source knowledge from the outside, it is not clear how contests could be utilized to break the barriers that SMEs face in pursuing Open Innovation. In this paper, we shed light on the topic by analysing ten innovation contests that have been successfully run in three European countries with the specific aim to create innovation opportunities between SMEs and higher education institutions, research centres, other companies, or end users. The analysis resulted in the identification of common elements that played a crucial role in these innovation contests, but were overlooked in previous research. Moreover, we collected early evidence supporting the case for innovation contests as tools to support Open Innovation policies for SMEs. On that basis, we propose a new framework that can be used by innovation intermediaries to design innovation contests specifically aiming at supporting Open Innovation in SMEs

Applying a living lab approach within an eHealth accelerator

Abstract Through this study, we seek to understand the impact of the use of the living lab approach on product and business development in an eHealth accelerator. In the case accelerator, 20 startups developed innovative products atop the European FIWARE Future Internet technology platform. The novel design element of the case accelerator was the use of the living lab approach that was included for the purpose of engaging end users in the development and testing of new product prototypes. Our main result is that the living lab approach provided added value to participating companies and resulted in changes in their product development and marketing strategies. Overall, the case accelerator and the use of the living lab approach had a significant impact on the development, growth, and market success of the companies. Based on the results of the case accelerator, we propose the generic accelerator model presented by Pauwels and co-authors in 2016 to be extended with a new design element, the living lab approach

Key aspects of establishing research, knowledge, and innovation-based hubs as part of the local innovation ecosystem

Abstract The purpose of this research is to increase the understanding of the principles of forming different types of hubs as spaces for collaborative R&D and innovation. This article offers valuable new knowledge regarding the establishment of hubs as part of the local innovation ecosystem. The paper will, through a qualitative multiple case study, shed light on the research issue of the establishment of hubs through an analysis of empirical data collected from three different types of hubs: a research hub, knowledge hub, and innovation hub. As a result, we introduce new building blocks of hubs to support managers and practitioners in forming collaborative hub structures

Collaborative innovation in healthcare:a case study of hospitals as innovation platforms

Abstract Rising healthcare costs and vast business opportunities in health markets have resulted in a great demand to enhance innovation creation. However, innovation development in healthcare is challenging because of the fragmented and complicated context. Potential means to tackle the challenges include utilising the concepts of open innovation and co-creation, which require organisations to develop new roles and relationships with multiple stakeholders. This paper analyses a 12-month co-creation project where a new collaboration model for healthcare innovations was developed by a hospital, research partners, and companies. We demonstrate how organisations experiment with collaborative innovation in the healthcare context, and what was learned from this experimentation. The study utilises an action research approach and a case study strategy. The co-creation model applied can produce innovations that meet the end-users’ needs, but successful implementation requires careful planning, creating separate development paths for idea-type and more mature solutions, and the commitment of project participants

Mobile augmented reality client as a UX method for living lab’s user involvement tool

Abstract This paper introduces an augmented reality application, AR PATIO, which was developed for an existing user involvement tool that is a part of a living lab. Augmented reality contents can be projected on-site to visualize change in a comprehensible and visual way. The aim of our application is to provide new methods for involving citizens in the innovation, co-creation, and evaluation of services and products in a living lab context. Our solution gives users the possibility to express their reactions by leaving location-based comments and feedback when using augmented reality. AR PATIO was evaluated as a part of a bigger user-experience study in which virtual reality and mobile clients were also tested. However, in this paper, we focus on the results from an AR use case. According to our UX study with 14 participants, AR PATIO created a positive experience. It was regarded as empowering, playful, innovative, and useful

Extending a user involvement tool with virtual and augmented reality

Abstract Living labs are environments for acquiring user feedback on new products and services. Virtual environments can complement living labs by providing dynamic immersive setup for depicting change. This paper describes implementation of Virtual and Augmented Reality clients as an extension to a user involvement tool for an existing living lab. We conducted a user experience study with 14 participants to compare the clients. According to our study, the virtual reality client was experienced as innovative, easy to use, entertaining and fun. Whereas the augmented reality client was perceived playful and empowering