Abstract
Purpose: The aim of this explorative study was to
discover the possibilities of connecting charity and
ideation as a workable method for product and service
innovation, and to introduce a preliminary new approach
to participatory design: to donate money for charity work
by participating in service innovation. The target for
innovation was new sustainable services for the ageing
population, and the possibilities for citizens to discuss
societal problems in relation to sustainable development.
Method: The study was carried out at the Open Web Lab of
the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland. Different
cases of societal problems were presented to the
participants for ideation and discussion. The
participants were supposed to add their own ideas and
experiences and expose them for general discussion. Every
added idea or comment from the participants increased the
amount of money targeted at charity work by 50 cents.
Results & Discussion: Based on the qualitative data
received and a content analysis of ideas, it can be
estimated that this preliminary idea for a co-design
approach suits well for discussion of societal problems
and for solution ideation. A co-design activity of this
kind offers a significant advantage compared with many
other co-design methods: it provides a possibility of
truly empowering people who, because of their genuine
interest in the subject, will actively participate in the
discussion. Furthermore, as the participants were
informed of the fact that the amount of the individual
charity donation was tied to the amount of comments and
ideas of the person in question, they were amenable to
attend the discussion for a relatively long period. The
study approach was found to be beneficial also to that
extent that it made it possible to produce a great many
ideas and generated active discussion, which led to both
new and refined ideas.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 229-236 |
Journal | Gerontechnology |
Volume | 12 |
Issue number | 4 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2014 |
MoE publication type | A1 Journal article-refereed |
Keywords
- charity
- service innovations
- open innovations
- co-design
- user involvement