Customised studies

Needs and requirement analyses

Innovations can only successfully be implemented in practice when the desires and demands of our clients are integrated into the innovation process. Beyond that, innovations must also be of benefit and value to groups and individuals who are directly affected by these. For example, in the case of innovations for the elderly, these may include relatives, employees in out-, and inpatient care, doctors, architects, craftspeople or construction and development companies.

Acceptance studies and technology impact studies

Barriers to acceptance can have a negative impact on an innovation’s success and so analysing them closely at an early stage is worthwhile. Investing into studies of acceptance ultimately saves costs and avoids delays in the development process.
While it is common to analyse the acceptance of products which are already known by and accessible to users, it is more difficult to measure the acceptance of systems that are still unknown to the user, such as Smart Home, Ambient Assisted Living, eHealth or robots.
We have specialized in the investigation of future technologies and services for which we have developed and tested specific methods. We do not restrict ourselves to the collection of attitudes, but rather combine this with data from the everyday lives of our participants: their use of technology, their motivation to purchase products or services, their willingness to spend, and ultimately their technical biographies and affinities.

Evaluating applications of models, usability tests

One of our strengths is evaluating the application of models in their specific domestic contexts. How does this work? We visit our participants in their homes, observe their interaction with the particular system and assess the ways in which this fits into the context of their domestic routines and everyday processes. For example, a device can seem relatively user-friendly and easy to operate at first, however, can turn out to be complicated and useless when tested in its everyday context. Such obstacles usually appear instantly when tested on the ground.
User-friendliness and usability are assessed in the form of structured tests; the study of acceptance is carried out by means of qualitative interviews, observations and the comparison of the products under investigation with the everyday practices and lives of the specific target group.
Our specialties include usability tests in domestic environments. We usually involve all household members to increase the validity of the results.

Trend studies, scenario development

We have been following trends closely for many years and assess these against current social and quotidian changes. We demonstrate to our clients how the world around them is changing, what opportunities and dangers consequently emerge, and what questions will arise tomorrow. The starting point for this is our data on changes in the domestic sphere since the early 20th century. We have established a large data pool in cooperation with other institutes and universities. This information has served as the basis for a large number of publications and reports as well as a series of trend reports (>Publications).
We advise you with the aim of anticipating changes early and successfully incorporating these into the development of new products and services. We are particularly successful because we combine expertise from different fields: from sociology and psychology, economics and anthropology, design and cultural studies. We have many years of experience working in such interdisciplinary teams. If the expertise of our team and the SIBIS network is not sufficient, we complement our results with the consultation of national and international experts.