User-integrated innovation : sustainable LivingLabs research and development of sustainable products and services through user-driven innovation
- Domestic sustainability innovations are considered to play a key role for pathways to sustainable consumption. The paper shows how open innovation processes can lead to such sustainable innovations, by means of an experimental and interactive infrastructure. It presents how – based on results of the LivingLab project conducted at the Wuppertal Institute within a European Consortium (Lead TU Delft) - currently an extended Sustainable LivingLab approach is developed and applied in two joint research projects at national and international level. To conceptualise this approach, we refer to recent proceedings in innovation and sustainability research, i.e. practice theory to analyse sustainable product design. Focusing on technical solutions andDomestic sustainability innovations are considered to play a key role for pathways to sustainable consumption. The paper shows how open innovation processes can lead to such sustainable innovations, by means of an experimental and interactive infrastructure. It presents how – based on results of the LivingLab project conducted at the Wuppertal Institute within a European Consortium (Lead TU Delft) - currently an extended Sustainable LivingLab approach is developed and applied in two joint research projects at national and international level. To conceptualise this approach, we refer to recent proceedings in innovation and sustainability research, i.e. practice theory to analyse sustainable product design. Focusing on technical solutions and individual behaviour while assuming people's needs as fixed entities, disregards the dynamics of everyday practices in which technologies themselves create needs. Therefore, the consumer's position should be strengthened through userdriven innovation. LivingLabs are combined lab-/household systems, which put the user, i.e. the home occupant, and value chain related actors (producer, handicraft, etc.) on centre stage in the innovation process. We introduce its research agenda and the Three Phases Model of research. We hypothesise that at the end of this userintegrated innovation process developed products have a higher chance of successful diffusion. To illustrate this, we show how the LivingLab infrastructure is employed for the German InnovationCity Ruhr and how it can promote the development of user-centred sustainable consumption strategies.…
Document Type: | Conference Object |
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Author: | Christa LiedtkeORCiDGND, Carolin BaedekerORCiDGND, Justus von Geibler, Marco Hasselkuß |
Editor(s): | Vera Fricke |
Publisher: | Techn. Univ. |
Place of publication: | Berlin |
Year of Publication: | 2012 |
Language: | English |
Source Title (English): | Beyond consumption : pathways to responsible living ; conference proceedings |
First Page: | 203 |
Last Page: | 218 |
Conference Name: | 2nd PERL International Conference |
Divisions: | Nachhaltiges Produzieren und Konsumieren |