Needsfinding in Living Labs: A Structured Research Approach

Abstract

Living labs enable innovations to be facilitated and implemented quicklyand efficiently. A key element of the living lab approach is the activeinvolvement of users. In this article, we examine a structuredneedsfinding phase of a living lab infrastructure project within thecontext of bicycle commuting. Given that effectuation costs are high, itis essential for the lab to focus on tackling the right user needs.Thus, the living lab's needsfinding phase aims to identify user needsand wants, as measured by bicycle commuting intention. We examinedintention in a structured way by following the theory of plannedbehaviour. The results show that bicycle commuting intention can beexplained by the variables of our model (R square=0.808). The specificinsights arising from the needsfinding phase are an important focus forthe activities and experiments in the later phases of the living lab.The generalized insights are also relevant to innovation experts outsidethe area of cycling.