User-driven Service Innovation in Health Care

The user-driven innovation approach has really gained a lot of attention in recent years. Many companies are starting to realize that innovation can arise not only from the research and development department but also from the interaction with partners, suppliers and end-users. Consequently, numerous firms in varying industries are now engaging users to play an active part in the development of new or improved products or services.

User-driven innovation is about mapping and understanding the user's existing and non-recognized needs, then use the knowledge as the basis for the development of new products, processes, organizational forms or service concepts. The user-driven innovation approach is seeking to gain greater focus around what the true needs are of target users and how can they best be met, or even exceeded, through the product or service being developed. Large enterprises in automotive and ICT, which are in the forefront of the global innovation arena, are characterized precisely by the fact that they are skilled in revealing unspoken user needs. These companies have an innovation process that often is much more demand driven than technology driven. Although manufacturing industries have many established methodologies we have to develop and pursue methods which are relevant also for service sectors in order to devise service concepts that satisfy customers unmet needs.

Transferred to the health sector means that we have to include government, hospitals, doctors, specialists and other professionals in health care, patients and their families. This diverse group of stakeholders is an important factor in the health sector with their own demands and various agendas regarding the implementation of innovation projects. Thus, methods for user-driven innovation in other industries, can not be adopted directly to the health sector. Testing, evaluation and adaptation of methods and tools for the development of new services are therefore sought after.

To harness this new wave of invention and creativity companies should put end user's needs in focus, which forms the basis for the development of ideas, conceptualization and final solutions. Also, the approach should address the user's context explicitly in order to have an impact. Finally, an integral concept is stronger, more accurate and is perceived as more meaningful to end users if all facets of this concept are developed based on insights and needs from the users' reality.