Exploring the Future of Smart Technologies: Workshop Insights

In the pursuit of a more sustainable future, smart technologies are at the forefront. Recently, a workshop in Finland convened potential users to gain a deeper understanding of in-person smart technologies designed to boost energy efficiency and sustainability for the INPERSO Project. This workshop facilitated open discussions and direct user feedback, providing developers with a deeper understanding of user needs to shape our sustainable future.

Workshop Objectives

In the workshop, through a human-centric approach, the participants’ expectations and needs for using innovative smart technologies guided by a set of clear and interconnected objectives were explored. The efforts were centered around potential users, ensuring that these innovations would be highly practical. Furthermore, a proactive approach was followed to identify the challenges and opportunities inherent in innovation, uncovering concerns, drawbacks, or downsides associated with these technologies, such as costs and maintenance matters, revealing potential barriers and facilitators to their adoption.

Key Insights

Participants expressed high expectations, anticipating substantial benefits such as the potential to reduce energy consumption by up to 50%, a strong emphasis on resource conservation to protect Earth's energy resources, and a keen interest in technologies that could demonstrate economic viability over time. Then, a discussion about the advantages and disadvantages of these technologies provided a perspective on technical issues, maintenance concerns, aesthetic preferences, and efficiency questions, which were thoroughly examined. Participants also underscored user adoption challenges, including privacy concerns, strategies for motivating sustainable behavior, and the importance of user-friendly interfaces. These insights collectively offer a comprehensive foundation for developers and decision-makers in the sustainable technology landscape.

Shaping the Future

Having gained a more comprehensive understanding of the challenges and opportunities surrounding smart technologies, the attention is directed towards how these insights will impact the future development of INPERSO solutions. First, they empower developers and stakeholders with the data for informed decision-making, aligning the development and implementation of these technologies with user expectations. Furthermore, the feedback collected during the workshop will provide guidance for refining these technologies, addressing identified drawbacks, and maximizing their advantages to make them more appealing to users. Lastly, insights on user adoption challenges will steer the development of user-friendly interfaces and strategies to engage a broader user base, including addressing privacy concerns.

Nur Samancioglu

Tampere University