Support the human centric innovation
Design methods
ecosystem level (work-life balance)
Design methods
ecosystem level (work-life balance)
What is it:
A settings-based approach focuses on the various environments where people live, work, and play, making these contexts the primary targets for health promotion and intervention. It aims to create health-promoting changes in physical, organisational, and social environments, often leveraging technology to enhance these settings.
When should you apply it:
This approach is applicable in health-related contexts, particularly when aiming to enhance the effectiveness of health initiatives by addressing the specific needs and capacities of individuals within different settings. Technology can be integrated to monitor health metrics, facilitate communication, and provide tailored health interventions.
Where is it already applied:
An example application is health promotion at the workplace for individuals with intellectual disabilities, where the focus shifts from individual interventions to creating an inclusive and supportive environment.
• Accessible wellness programmes
• Clear communication channels
• Support peer networks
…were implemented, thereby enhancing socialisation and mental health.
How to apply:
• Take differences and similarities across types of settings into account
• Account for the temporal patterning of behaviour
• Look for unanticipated effects and unintended consequences
• Be reflexive regarding ethics associated with actions, assumptions, and use of power
• Develop a coherent, but nonlinear, ecological logic model
• Engage participants in the process and address a variation of topics to deepen the social analysis of root causes that affect their health
• Link across and beyond settings
What is it:
Value Sensitive Design (VSD) is a theoretically grounded approach to technology design that systematically and comprehensively integrates human values. It ensures that the technology is not only functional but also ethically sound, aligning with the values of all stakeholders involved.
When should you apply it:
VSD should be considered when prioritising the values of stakeholders in the design and implementation of novel technologies. It is suitable for various use cases, including healthcare, defense engineering, and public sector design.
Where is it already applied:
An example of VSD in practice is demonstrated through an engineering design case study involving the development of a supervisory command and control system for the U.S. Navy’s Tactical Tomahawk cruise missile. This highlights the first fundamental canon of engineering ethics: engineers should prioritize the health, safety, and welfare of the public. This raises the ethical question: Is it ethical for an engineer to design a weapon?
How to apply:
• Seek support from experts in this field
• Identify and engage stakeholders
• Conduct empirical investigations to understand and prioritize the values of stakeholders
• Implement an iterative design process that incorporates continuous feedback from stakeholders
• Conduct conceptual investigations
• Incorporate sustainability into the design process
• Continuously evaluate the ethical implications of the design choices
What is it:
The Quadruple Helix Model is an innovation framework that integrates input from four key stakeholders: the State, Industry/Business, Academia, and Citizens. It emphasizes dynamic interactions among these groups to foster comprehensive and inclusive innovation.
When should you apply it:
Apply this model when aiming to incorporate diverse stakeholder perspectives in the development and implementation of innovative solutions. This approach is useful to use by the public sector, and for larger ecosystems or regional incentives.
Where is it already applied:
It is applied in initiatives like the European Digital Innovation Hubs, where academia, tech companies, government, and civil society collaborate to drive digital transformation. Here, support to small and medium enterprises is offered on for example artificial intelligence and advanced manufacturing technologies.
How to apply:
• Select a venue that is accessible, comfortable, and conducive to collaboration
• Involve representatives from all sectors of society: public authorities, industry, academia, and citizens
• Use instruments, methods, and approaches in the Quadruple Helix Model design as suits best with your goal and the actors you aim to include
• Find a purpose or goal that all partners rate as an important investment
What is it:
An Innovation Camp is an intensive, time-bounded collaborative approach designed to generate creative solutions to complex challenges. It involves structured yet dynamic participatory processes based on co-creation and problem-solving and lasts for multiple days. A wide range of quadruple helix stakeholders should be present, bringing diverse backgrounds and expertise.
When should you apply it:
Apply this methodology when aiming to foster collaboration among diverse stakeholders within an innovation ecosystem. It is particularly useful for addressing regional development challenges, facilitating learning, and community building. Use an Innovation Camp to address societal and site-specific issues that require a holistic approach.
Where is it already applied:
Innovation Camps have been used extensively at the European level, such as in the development of European Digital Innovation Hubs, where stakeholders collaborate to develop and implement innovative solutions.
How to apply:
• Assign a Camp Convener to take responsibility for the process
• Allocate at least a year to execute the entire innovation camp process
• Include a diverse range of stakeholders with varying expertise, backgrounds, and nationalities
What is it:
An ELSA Lab (Ethical, Legal, and Societal Aspects Lab) ensures that ethical, legal, and societal aspects are integrated into the development and deployment of technologies. It promotes the alignment of AI systems with societal needs and values through structured, iterative processes.
When should you apply it:
Use an ELSA Lab if you want to develop and use advanced technologies in a responsible way, or if you want others to learn how to do so. It is particularly useful for ensuring that fundamental rights and public values are considered from the start, fostering ongoing learning and adaptation.
Where is it already applied:
ELSA Labs have been initiated by the Dutch AI Coalition to ensure responsible AI development in the Netherlands. For example, the ELSA AI Lab Northern Netherlands developed an online tool to integrate ethical, legal, and societal considerations into AI systems used in healthcare.
How to apply:
• Include ethical, legal and societal aspects into the process
• Collaborate with all actors from the quadruple helix
• Use methodologies as described in the section Workplace level with end user involvement and in the Instruments chapter to co-design and collect ideas
Design methods
organisational level
Design methods
organisational level
What is it:
The organisational (re)design approach Integral Organisational Renewal (IOR) is a modern sociotechnical design approach that aims to improve organisational performance and job quality by viewing an organisation as a social interaction network. It focuses on reducing structural complexity and increasing worker autonomy.
When should you apply it:
Apply IOR when aiming to enhance both efficiency and human-centric work within an organisation. It is particularly useful for creating flexible, humane organisations with low complexity and high-quality jobs. This approach is also beneficial when an organisation needs to be better structured to effectively implement new technologies.
Where is it already applied:
IOR principles have been applied in various organisational settings to achieve better business performance and employee outcomes.
• Minimising coordination needs
• Reducing division of labour
• Ensuring comprehensive tasks and decision-making roles
How to apply:
• Assess what products you sell (or plan to sell) to which markets/customers, grouping product families and regions
• Assess the requirements to improve efficiency, effectiveness, flexibility, and innovativeness
• Avoid jumping to conclusions about problem causes
• Define the systems and their boundaries (organisation, department, team) that need to be (re)designed
• Define output requirements or functional specifications
• Describe and lay out the primary processes
• Design the organisational structure
• Design support systems
• Ensure the change process and implementation of new technology incorporate human-centric principles
• Acknowledge that applying this solution is not easy
• Focus on a human-centric implementation of new technologies
• Secure involvement and commitment from all levels
• Critically assess employee and co-worker input
• Form project teams and create project plans grounded in human-centric values
• Consider involving external experts
• Refer to the overarching guideline for an organisational-level solution direction based on Modern Sociotechnics (MST) and similar approaches
Workplace Innovation (WPI) is an organisational intervention aimed at simultaneously improving business performance and the quality of work.
It involves human-centric innovations in Technology, Organisation, and Personnel (TOP) to enhance both business and human performance.
This approach ensures that new technologies are integrated in a way that supports and augments the work of employees, rather than merely controlling or monitoring them.
When should you apply it:
Apply WPI when aiming to foster a participative and human-centric approach to organisational change.
It is particularly useful for integrating structural and cultural aspects to improve performance and working conditions.
Where is it already applied:
WPI has been applied in various organisational settings to enhance both business outcomes and job quality.
Examples include interventions documented by Eurofound and the Workplace Innovation Knowledge Bank.
How to apply:
• Use the TOP model to arrange your arguments
• From a human-centric stance make an inventory of the effects of the new technology on jobs, tasks and employees
• For the negative outcomes for the quality of work, determine the relationship with the newly implemented technology
• Implement the alternative solutions whenever possible
• Look into the overarching guideline for an organisational level solution direction based on modern sociotechnics (MST) and similar human-centric approaches to designing work
Semi-autonomous teams (SATs) are teams of workers who have partial control over a complete unit of work or a specific task. They have autonomy in decision-making, development, and process improvements, while management retains control over strategy, business, investment, and financial decisions. By granting teams partial control over decision-making and process improvements — including technology selection — the technology is better aligned to the needs of the workers, increasing the success of implementation.
When should you apply it:
Apply SATs when aiming to improve organisational performance and job satisfaction through increased worker autonomy. This approach is particularly useful in environments that benefit from sociotechnical participation and human-centric work design.
Where is it already applied:
n.a.
How to apply:
• To define the boundaries of an SAT, one can first follow the steps of the solution direction of IO
• Create a competencies matrix for the tasks to be executed by humans and the required qualifications
• Compose the team so that, collectively, all required skills and qualifications are available
• Ensure each SAT is linked to the broader organisation, is accountable to higher levels, and manages its own internal leadership
• Avoid the pitfall of assigning responsibility for a team task without providing the appropriate authority, decision latitude, or resources
• Look into the overarching guideline for an organisational-level solution direction based on Modern Sociotechnics (MST) and similar human-centric approaches to designing work
Design methods
workplace level with end user involvement
Design methods
workplace level with end user involvement
What is it:
Collaborative design approaches prioritise end-users and other stakeholders to create solutions that match their needs, preferences, and expectations, improving user satisfaction and overall accessibility. The three main branches are co-creation, participatory design, and user-centred design (UCD).
When should you apply it:
Apply collaborative design when aiming to develop solutions or technology that fit end-user needs. These approaches are particularly useful in contexts where user input is crucial, but may be less suitable for applications requiring system stability and consistency, such as financial or cybersecurity systems.
Where is it already applied:
User participation can be applied to different types of technology, including web applications and wearable devices, and is widely used in fields such as healthcare, education, technology-enabled services, software development, and enterprise systems. Its principles enable the development of products that align with user behaviours, preferences, and environments.
How to apply:
• Involve end-users from diverse user groups and with distinct abilities
• Ensure a fair distribution of responsibilities and accountability among stakeholders
• Integrating participation of end-users into traditional development methodologies can also pose difficulties
• Tailored strategies may be required to ensure meaningful participation from complex or hesitant groups
What is it:
Value co-creation (VCC) involves creating, delivering, and exchanging value through a symbiotic relationship between customers, businesses, and other stakeholders. It emphasises the joint creation of value through interactions during the design process, recognising that value is co-created through experiences and interactions.
When should you apply it:
Apply VCC when aiming to foster innovation, encourage customer participation, and enhance customer services. Use this method if your aim is to enhance business outcomes by designing products, technology or services that are more tailored to customer needs and preferences.
Where is it already applied:
VCC has been successfully implemented in various fields. For example, LEGO Ideas uses VCC to engage customers in the product development process, and ING used VCC to develop a new life insurance product by involving employees and customers in the design process.
How to apply:
• Look elsewhere for guidelines on collaborative sessions for design or idea generation
• Facilitate an environment for open interaction
• Clarify roles and expectations by clearly defining what is expected from customers in terms of their involvement
• Ensure to have a strong brand and create a loyal customer base
What is it:
Co-creation workshops are collaborative sessions designed to actively involve diverse stakeholders in the design process. These workshops aim to achieve shared goals by leveraging the collective creativity and insights of all participants.
When should you apply it:
Apply co-creation workshops when aiming to better understand design problems from different perspectives, identify opportunities, and ideate innovative solutions. They are particularly useful in development trajectories that include end-users in the design process.
Where is it already applied:
As part of the SEISMEC project, Ateş Wind Power conducted a co-creation workshop to gather valuable input on a VR training application under development. The session included engineers, operators, and inspectors, who provided feedback on the VR demo. This collaborative effort led to an improved workflow, with participants appreciating the opportunity to contribute and expressing interest in testing the final VR application.
How to apply:
• Schedule enough time to perform the session
• Limit the group size to no more than 15 participants to ensure a productive and effective session
• Preferably consult an expert in designing and organising co-creation workshops
• Structure the session in phases, typically four
• Document everything extensively and report this back to the participants
• Prepare one or two questions you aim to address in the session
• Adjust the level of difficulty and challenges to the participants and make the session more immersive than instructional
• Prepare materials that belong to the design approach you choose
What is it:
A Living Lab is a research concept and methodology that involves the active participation of users and stakeholders in real-world settings to develop, test, and refine innovations. It aims to foster the implementation of technological innovations in a human-centric manner, ensuring they are practical, effective, and aligned with user needs.
When should you apply it:
Apply the Living Lab approach when aiming to study the implications of designed solutions in their intended environments, such as organisations, workplaces, public spaces, and broader communities. It is particularly useful for integrating user feedback throughout the development and testing phases to increase the likelihood of successful and sustainable implementation.
Where is it already applied:
Living Labs are commonly used in the healthcare domain for topics such as ageing, technological innovations, and healthy living. An example is the eLabEL project, which aimed to integrate e-health in primary care. Despite facing challenges, the project provided valuable insights into the complexities of implementing e-health solutions and highlighted the importance of stakeholder alignment and collaboration. In other cases, Living Labs are used to demonstrate research and examine the effects of diverse types of roof covering on building performance and sustainability. This approach allows for real-world testing and refinement of innovative roofing solutions.
How to apply:
• Explore and define clear objectives and scope of the Living Lab
• Involve all relevant stakeholders and aim to include end-users in every stage of the process
• Define the real-life setting in which you want to implement the technology
• Use various methods to gather ideas and opinions on the Living Lab
• Perform an impact assessment to examine effectivity
What is it:
Lead User Innovation involves collaborating with advanced users who are ahead of market trends and have unmet needs, leveraging their insights to co-create innovative products or solutions.
When should you apply it:
Apply this method when developing new products or services, or when optimising business processes, especially in industries undergoing digital transformation. Lead users are particularly beneficial in participatory design processes due to their critical insights and ability to develop their own solutions.
Where is it already applied:
This approach is widely used in technology, healthcare, and consumer goods industries, where early adopters and advanced users drive significant innovation. For example, AI-driven workplaces benefit from lead users to test and integrate new technologies before company-wide implementation.
How to apply:
• Use Lead User Innovation to create new products and/or services
• Follow the process steps of a Lead User Innovation design
• Identify lead users
What is it:
A Learning Community brings together diverse parties to collaboratively tackle urgent, complex societal issues through structured activities, promoting collective problem-solving, innovation, and skill development. It fosters an environment where participants learn from each other, enhancing both individual and collective expertise.
When should you apply it:
Apply this method when addressing complex, multidimensional challenges that require diverse expertise and perspectives, particularly in fields like education, social domains, technology, and sustainability. It’s especially beneficial for start-ups or MKB companies, being able to learn from bigger companies.
Where is it already applied:
Learning communities are used in various domains, including education to enhance teaching and learning processes, and in the social domain to solve societal challenges. For example, the Netherlands AI Coalition uses learning communities to develop AI knowledge and training programs, leveraging regional collaboration structures to produce tangible outcomes.
How to apply:
• Involve representatives from policy, education, practice, research and the target group to ensure diverse perspectives
• Appoint a learning community leader to coordinate multiple activities and maintain engagement
• Allow community members to allocate dedicated work hours for community activities and support a positive learning culture within the organisation
• Define the expected duration of the learning community
• Encourage synergy and collaboration by pooling resources
• Use interactive formats
• Allocate physical or digital spaces that facilitate collaboration
• Develop a structured learning framework
• Sustain the learning community
What is it:
Intervention Mapping (IM) is a structured planning approach used to develop behaviour change interventions, ensuring they are tailored to the needs and contexts of the target population. It shares principles with human-centred design, such as user involvement and iterative development.
When should you apply it:
Apply this method when developing, implementing, and evaluating health promotion interventions, public health programs, or behavioural change programs. It’s particularly useful for big governmental funded health initiatives and behavioural change programs, ranging in context from occupational safety to digital health.
Where is it already applied:
IM is widely used in health promotion programmes, such as increasing physical activity in adolescents, designing mental health interventions, and developing digital health tools like the iSMART program for stroke survivors. It ensures interventions are practical, acceptable, and feasible through stakeholder involvement.
How to apply:
• Involve an expert
• Target a wide population
• Use IM primarily for achieving behavioural change in large populations
• Continuously improve and monitor the process and keep doing so even after the intervention is implemented
• Thoroughly document the entire process
Design methods
workplace level not necessarily with end user involvement
Design methods
workplace level not necessarily with end user involvement
Design Thinking (DT) is an established process with iterative steps, used in organisations and aiming at solving problems and promoting innovation. This human-centred approach emphasises empathy, creativity, and iteration to develop innovative products, services, and processes, prioritising the needs and viewpoints of users and stakeholders.
When should you apply it:
Apply this method when addressing complex challenges that require innovative solutions, particularly in rapidly evolving industries. DT is beneficial for fostering creativity and solving problems in sectors like technology, healthcare, and public services. Also, it could be used for behavioural change programs that are less big than addressed with an intervention mapping approach.
Where is it already applied:
DT is widely used across various sectors, including government services in Singapore, employee onboarding at Telstra, and patient-centred innovations in healthcare, such as GE Healthcare’s Adventure Series for MRI machines.
How to apply:
Empathise
• Engage with end-users
• Observe in context
• Conduct interviews and surveys
Define
• Synthesize findings
• Formulate problem statements
• Prioritize challenges
• Align with organisational goals
Ideate
• Encourage diverse participation
• Facilitate brainstorming sessions
• Use creative techniques
• Promote a safe environment
Prototype
• Develop low-fidelity prototypes
• Iterate rapidly
• Engage users in testing
• Document learnings
Test
• Conduct user testing
• Analyse results
• Refine solutions
• Plan for implementation
What is it:
The customer journey describes the complete interaction of a user with a range of services, providing a visual overview of incidents, interactions, and experiences to identify what works and what needs improvement.
When should you apply it:
Apply this method to understand user needs, develop customer understanding, and create technology experiences that enhance user engagement, control, and self-confidence. It’s particularly useful in innovation processes where citizen needs are central.
Where is it already applied:
The customer journey is used in various contexts, such as AI-driven customer experiences, including chatbots and voice assistants, and well-being applications to engage users and improve service quality.
How to apply:
• Identify why you are building a customer journey map and set clear objectives
• Identify profiles and personas and focus on one specific audience at a time
• Determine and plot the touchpoints users have with your technology
• Create your customer journey map template
• Follow the 5 phases of a customer journey: awareness, consideration, decision, retention, and advocacy
• Digitalise your journey map for easy updates and sharing
• Provide a summary explaining your key takeaways
• Clearly state the follow-up actions
What is it:
A human-centric interface encompasses the design of digital interfaces, focused and based on human needs and experiences. This ensures intuitive and accessible interaction through various technologies like screens, voice commands, and virtual environments.
When should you apply it:
Apply this method to enhance user experience, safety, and productivity by aligning technology with natural behaviour and integrating it smoothly into existing workflows. It’s particularly useful in industries where efficient human-machine interaction is critical.
Where is it already applied:
HCI is used in diverse industries such as construction, where interfaces are designed for gloved hands and safety warnings, warehouses with voice-based systems functioning in noisy environments, and healthcare settings to protect patient privacy and manage data efficiently.
How to apply:
• Identify clearly to what extent the system is autonomous at a given time and the interdependence between all the actors involved in the activity
• Ensure adaptability to the user profile
• Prevent and recover from human errors
• Consistency of design
• Efficiency of use
• Enable trust
• Developers shall ensure that XR applications are quick to respond to users’ inputs to maintain engagement and willingness to use
• XR applications shall be developed with respect to new standards
• Focus on privacy and cybersecurity
• XR applications shall not hinder reliability and functionality and it is mandatory to include user feedback to continuously refine and improve the application design
• XR applications shall enable more natural interactions (gaze, voice, gestures) to reduce physical and cognitive workload
What is it:
The co-active design method is used for teams of humans and automated agents, focusing on human-automation interdependency to improve task execution through collaborative interactions.
When should you apply it:
Apply this method when full automation is not possible or desired, and when human and automated agents need to work together to carry out tasks efficiently and safely.
Where is it already applied:
Co-active design is used in various fields, such as the DARPA robotics challenge, healthcare for enhancing surgical precision, and transportation for human-assisted autonomous vehicle operations.
How to apply:
• Identify interaction between human and agents via an interaction analysis
• Explore different pathways
• Determine OPD requirements (Observability, Predictability, and Directability)
• Implement human-robot communication strategies
• Foster iteration moments and feedback loops
What is it:
Personas are hypothetical archetypes of actual users that represent distinctive user groups for a technology, created based on real user data to guide a human-centric implementation of technology.
When should you apply it:
Apply this method to enhance understanding of target users, prioritise product requirements, and challenge assumptions, ensuring designs are user-friendly and meet actual user needs. Additionally, personas can be used if you do not wish to have a lot of iterative testing with a group of end-users, for example because they belong to a vulnerable group or are lacking time or resources.
Where is it already applied:
Personas are used in various fields, such as developing eHealth platforms for chronic disease management, where they help align technology with target users throughout development.
How to apply:
• Make a time frame of the technology implementation and development process and determine which methods you will use to gather data
• Collect data of your end users
• Use the retrieved information to give content to the personas
• Make a tangible document of the personas
• Make your personas specific and tailored to the goal that you want to achieve with implementing a technology
• Validate your personas to check if the personas are different, complete, believable and trustworthy
• Conduct research to identify outliers and make sure to have access to a diverse and representative sample of users to create accurate personas
What is it:
Inclusive design is a design approach that aims to create products, services, and environments that are usable and accessible to specific user groups, particularly those who are traditionally excluded.
When should you apply it:
Use inclusive design if you aim to develop objects, systems, and environments that can be accessed by the maximum number of people by considering limitations such as accessibility, age, economic situation, geographic location, and language. It’s particularly useful when designing digital information and communication tools.
Where is it already applied:
Inclusive design is used in various fields, such as the SAM (Stress Autism Mate) app, which addresses the unique needs of people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) by involving them throughout the design process to ensure accessibility and user-friendliness.
How to apply:
• Engage relevant stakeholder groups
• Use interviews, surveys and usability testing to determine the needs of various users
• Apply the five key principles of inclusive design
• Ensure compliance with accessibility standards
What is it:
Universal Design is a human-centric approach aimed at creating accessible and usable products, environments, and services for everyone, regardless of age, ability, or other factors.
When should you apply it:
In essence, Universal Design principles can be applied to all kinds of products and services, including technology, buildings and public services. They are particularly useful for addressing a large and varied group, ensuring accessibility and usability for the widest range of users.
Where is it already applied:
Universal Design is applied in technologies like text-to-speech (TTS) and high contrast text settings, enhancing accessibility for individuals with visual impairments or reading difficulties.
How to apply:
We refer to the guidelines of Inclusive Design
Technologies
Technologies
Human-AI interaction is a multidisciplinary field focused on designing and evaluating systems where humans and AI collaborate.
It aims to enhance trust, usability, and performance through improved task allocation and interaction quality,
encompassing approaches like human-AI co-learning, explainable AI, and human-in-the-loop.
What is it:
Human-AI co-learning is a collaborative process where humans and AI systems learn from each other to improve their capabilities and decision-making. This mutual learning enhances both the AI’s adaptability and the human’s understanding of the AI’s strengths and weaknesses.
When should you apply it:
Apply human-AI co-learning when developing systems that require continuous adaptation and improvement through mutual learning between humans and AI. It is particularly useful in complex tasks where human expertise and AI capabilities can complement each other.
Where is it already applied:
This technique is used in adaptive learning platforms and collaborative robotics, where human feedback helps AI systems improve over time. It is also applied in marketing analysis and manufacturing to enhance decision-making and operational efficiency.
How to apply:
• Assess the need of human-AI co-learning
• Involve the end users in the design process
• Define the roles that humans and AI play
• Enable effective human-AI interaction
• Consider stakeholder impact beyond direct users
• Evaluate and improve the system
What is it:
Human-in-the-loop (HITL) systems involve both humans and automated components in the operational process, allowing human intervention and oversight to improve productivity, safety, and quality of output.
When should you apply it:
Use a HITL approach in contexts where decisions have significant consequences, require nuanced judgment, or involve high-risk environments. Ensuring alignment with human values and enhancing performance, HITL is particularly useful in tasks that are complex, ambiguous, or where ethical considerations are crucial.
Where is it already applied:
HITL systems are used in data processing, manufacturing, and critical decision-making scenarios. For example, in data entry and validation, human oversight ensures accuracy and reliability. In manufacturing, HITL systems help monitor and control automated processes, enhancing safety and efficiency. In high-stakes environments like healthcare and finance, human oversight ensures that AI decisions align with ethical standards and regulatory requirements.
How to apply:
• Assess the need for a human-in-the-loop approach
• Define the roles that humans and AI play
• Involve the end user in the design process
• Consider stakeholder impact beyond direct users
• Evaluate and improve the system
What is it:
Explainable AI (XAI) refers to techniques and methods that make an AI system’s decisions and behaviour understandable to humans, addressing the complexity and lack of transparency in advanced models like Deep Learning and Generative models.
When should you apply it:
Use explainable AI when transparency, trust, and accountability are critical, especially in high-stakes domains like healthcare, finance, and autonomous systems.
Where is it already applied:
Explainable AI is applied in medical diagnosis systems, financial decision-making tools, and autonomous vehicles to ensure users understand and trust the AI’s decisions, enhancing collaboration and safety.
How to apply:
• Establish communication between research and pilot teams
• Define the purpose of explainability
• Identify target users and needs
• Define data and system types
• Conduct literature review
• Select suitable explainability techniques
• Integrate explainability layer into AI development
• Provide user-centric explanations
• Facilitate collaboration between roles
• Establish feedback loops
• Remain flexible
• Assess explainability effectiveness
• Perform pre- and post-explainability comparisons
What is it:
Digital Human Models (DHMs) are sophisticated computer-generated representations of human beings used to simulate and analyse human interactions with products, environments, and systems. They incorporate detailed anthropometric, biomechanical, and physiological data to create realistic simulations of human movements, postures, and behaviours.
When should you apply it:
DHMs could be used when designing products, workstations, and work processes to quickly test various scenarios and evaluate the impact of design choices on physical loads and ergonomics.
Where is it already applied:
DHMs are used in vehicle cabin design to assess reach, operation, and viewing aspects, as well as in manufacturing to optimise workflows and minimise non-value-added movements. They are also used in workstation design to ensure optimal postures and body loads.
How to apply:
• Decide whether DHMs have added value in the design process and whether to invest in DHMs from a software and skills point of view
• Involve an expert
• Engage stakeholders early
• Define clear goals and criteria
• Make sure to have a skilled team and proper tools
• Use up-to-date anthropometric data covering the range of your user population
• Set aside adequate time and budget
• Schedule a kick-off session and define the project scope and objectives with stakeholders
• Build the digital model
• Run the simulated tasks in the DHM software and observe results
• Present the results in an accessible format (charts, heatmaps, or animation of the digital human) and review them
• Build a quick/paper prototype
• Apply improvements to address the identified issues, test them in the model and do this iteratively
• Train the team and set expectations
• Include a diverse range of digital humans to represent your actual users
• Check results against human factors guidelines
• Don’t trust the model blindly
• Avoid using rough estimates or out-of-date data
• Don’t model every minor detail at the start
What is it:
A digital twin (DT) is a virtual representation of an object or system designed to accurately reflect its physical counterpart. Industrial digital twins leverage real-time data, simulations, and advanced analytics to optimise performance and decision-making.
When should you apply it:
Apply digital twins in scenarios where real-time monitoring, predictive analytics, and optimisation of physical systems are crucial. They are particularly useful in complex industrial processes and environments, or for example in situations where you do not have access to the real environment.
Where is it already applied:
Digital twins are used in manufacturing to optimise production processes, in predictive maintenance to anticipate equipment failures, and in smart cities to manage infrastructure and resources efficiently.
How to apply:
• The application of DTs should be accompanied by worker participation and mock-up testing
• Validate the use-case and domain
• Engage stakeholders and end-users
• Assess data readiness and IT fit
• Form a multidisciplinary team
• Establish technology and data infrastructure
• Allocate time and budget
• Prepare training and support materials
• Define goals and secure stakeholder input
• Plan design and integration
• Develop iteratively (start small, at best with a prototype)
• Test and validate with users
• Deploy pilot and evaluate
• Focus on human and business benefits
• Ensure high-quality data
• Prioritise security and privacy
• Don’t boil the ocean
• Don’t neglect the people side
• Don’t ignore maintenance
• Don’t remove human oversight
Privacy-preserving human state monitoring methods involve using wearable technologies and sensors to collect and analyse bio-signals, such as heart rate and skin conductance, to monitor workers’ physical and mental states while ensuring their privacy.
These methods combine data from various sensors to provide accurate insights into workers’ conditions.
When should you apply it:
Apply these methods in physically demanding jobs, high-stress environments, and remote or hazardous locations to enhance worker safety and well-being.
They are particularly useful when real-time feedback can help workers adjust their behaviour or work settings.
Where is it already applied:
These methods are used in industries like construction, manufacturing, and healthcare to monitor biomechanical risks, stress levels, and fatigue.
They are also applied in remote work environments to ensure safety through real-time monitoring.
Privacy-preserving techniques, such as edge processing and differential privacy, are employed to maintain data security and comply with regulations like GDPR.
How to apply:
• Involve an expert
• Take privacy concerns into account
• Take ethical considerations into account
• Include action perspectives when providing feedback
Stress Detection
• Determine the type of data to collect and set up measurement methods
• Process and analyse the data
• Ensure valid and accurate data collection
Fatigue Detection
• Determine the type of data to collect and set up measurement methods
• Process and analyse the data
• Ensure valid and accurate data collection
Safety Risk Detection
• Determine which type of data you want to collect and set up your measurement method
• Process and analyse the data
What is it:
Serious gaming uses video game technology, design, and mechanics for education and training purposes, focusing on providing immersive and engaging learning experiences through game mechanics like rewards, levels, and leaderboards.
When should you apply it:
Apply serious gaming when aiming to encourage specific behaviours, improve adherence in training or recurring courses, and provide personalised, interactive learning experiences. It is particularly useful in domains requiring experiential learning and practice.
Where is it already applied:
Serious gaming is used in education (e.g., Minecraft Education Edition), healthcare (e.g., games for patient rehabilitation and surgeon training), military and defence (e.g., strategy training), and social awareness (e.g., promoting empathy and critical thinking). It is also applied in logistics to simulate supply chain management and in workplace safety training to internalise safety protocols.
How to apply:
• Match the motives and preferences in the game with those of the target group, to optimally benefit from the intrinsic motivation that can be achieved through serious games
• Make sure the serious games elicit the desired stimulation
• The serious games should be easy to find and to get access to by the end-user
• Involve end-users in the development and testing phase
• If VR technology is used, consider the fact that it might require a large dedicated space and that acclimatisation to the VR system might be necessary
