The ACCEPT LivingLab methodology aims at
conceptualizing the end user needs regarding core elements and
involving the end user in the design process through feedback loops.
This ensures that end-user and citizen perspectives are considered in all phases of the solution/business model development as opposed to only at the project completion stage. This collaborative process brings the design channels of an innovation project closer to the end user and real market needs, which ultimately maximizes the market uptake potential of the project’s solutions.
The ACCEPT LivingLab process comprises of three stages, pre-validation, pilot site LivingLabs and a large-scale demonstration, each of these stages have specific aims:
A rigorous testing and pre-validation phase of the ACCEPT solution will take place in real buildings with already established lab environments. This stage is a dry run for actual implementation for the purpose of an early validation of use cases and business scenarios.
The next phase is to test the ACCEPT solution with a small number of actual users to enable regular feedback loops that aim to eliminate user acceptance issues during the full pilot demonstrations. This is a bridging phase between the early design and development of solutions in the validation phase, and the full deployment in the large-scale demonstration phase. This phase provides the opportunity for iterations and modifications/refinements to technology and solutions offered in ACCEPT.
The final phase of the project is the full deployment of the ACCEPT solution in all pilot sites. Within this phase, an evaluation of the impact of the ACCEPT solution will be carried out based on key performance indicators. The pilot evaluation framework will aim at continuously monitoring critical impact aspects that include end-user acceptance and comfort, amongst many other dimensions.