Investigating user-centered design practices in Austrian AAL projects

This paper summarizes the results of an online study on stakeholder involvement, user-centered design methods, and communication practices. Over-all, 27 Austrian organizations actively involved in innovation projects focusing on the development of solutions in the field of Active and Assisted Living (AAL) took part in the study. The results reveal a wide involvement of various stake-holders in most projects, however insurance companies and public authorities are rarely actively involved. With regard to methodological approaches, our results show a high literacy on advanced user research methods, but only a limited vari-ety of methods actually applied. Finding a common language and choosing the right ways to communicate user requirements have been identified as a necessity for successful collaboration within AAL project teams.