Living Lab

Living, adjective

1. Active, functioning, or operating
2. Currently in use or practice
3. Developing or occurring in real time

Laboratory, noun

1. A room or building equipped for scientific experiments, research, or teaching
2. A place providing opportunity for experimentation, observation, or practice in a field of study

Understanding Living Labs

The concept of living labs emerged in the late 1990s at MIT, where William Mitchell developed it as a research methodology for studying living patterns and testing new technologies in real-world settings. As Eriksson et al. define in "State-of-the-art in utilizing Living Labs approach to user-centric ICT innovation" (2005), living labs represent "a user-centric research methodology for sensing, prototyping, validating and refining complex solutions in multiple and evolving real-life contexts."

Dell'Era and Landoni's "Living Lab: A Methodology between User-Centred Design and Participatory Design" (2014) establishes that living labs operate at the intersection of research methodology and innovation practice, where "the laboratory is extended to real-life environments and users become co-creators."

Methodological Framework

Living labs function through what Leminen et al. (2012) describe as a "quadruple helix" model, involving:

1. Academic Research: Systematic investigation and knowledge creation
2. Industry Practice: Real-world implementation and market validation
3. Public Sector: Policy framework and societal needs
4. User Communities: Direct participation and feedback

This framework enables what Ballon et al. (2005) term "experimentation environments," where innovation occurs through active use and iteration rather than controlled testing alone.

Contemporary Practice

Modern living labs have evolved beyond their original technological focus to encompass broader societal challenges. As Voytenko et al. describe in "Urban Living Labs for Sustainability and Low Carbon Cities" (2016), they now represent spaces for:

1. Experimental Research: Testing hypotheses in real-world conditions
2. Innovation Development: Creating and refining new solutions
3. Social Learning: Building collective knowledge through practice
4. Policy Development: Informing governance through direct experience

Further Reading

• Eriksson, M., Niitamo, V. P., & Kulkki, S. (2005). State-of-the-art in utilizing Living Labs approach to user-centric ICT innovation. European Commission.
• Dell'Era, C., & Landoni, P. (2014). Living Lab: A Methodology between User-Centred Design and Participatory Design. Creativity and Innovation Management, 23(2), 137-154.
• Leminen, S., Westerlund, M., & Nyström, A. G. (2012). Living Labs as Open-Innovation Networks. Technology Innovation Management Review, 2(9), 6-11.
• Ballon, P., Pierson, J., & Delaere, S. (2005). Test and Experimentation Platforms for Broadband Innovation. EUROCPR Conference.
• Voytenko, Y., McCormick, K., Evans, J., & Schliwa, G. (2016). Urban Living Labs for Sustainability and Low Carbon Cities. Journal of Cleaner Production, 123, 45-54.

Related Concepts

• Experimental Design
• User-Centered Design
• Action Research
• Innovation Methodology
• Participatory Design
• Real-World Testing
• Co-Creation