User Needs in Smart Homes: Changing Needs According to Life Cycles and the Impact on Designing Smart Home Solutions

Overview & Synopsis

Smart home solutions are gaining popularity but hold a large untapped potential. This paper presents smart home needs from a user point of view. Based on co-creation workshops with residents of different life cycles in Belgium, it draws conclusions about key issues related to user needs. Starting from these insights we can describe characteristics of inhabitants according to their life cycle. We conclude that their needs for smart solutions and the way they want to equip their homes differ. The younger generation looks for modular systems with possibilities to expand or move them. They are moment oriented and buy Internet of Things (IoT) appliances according to their current needs and budget. The older generation, by contrast, searches for quality and all-in-one solutions. They want a complete solution that does not require any updates or extras and is proof for their future needs. The results of this study in the form of eight guidelines can be considered when designing smart home solutions.