About Motivated Project Teams, User Expectations, Proof-of-Concept Testing and the After-a-Good-Project-Hang-Over

Abstract

(1) Televic N.V. p.verhoeve@televic.com, (2) IBBT -UGent/IBCN, Belgium, 32 9 331 49 35, ann.ackaert@intec.ugent.be; (3) IBBT -VUB/SMIT, Belgium, (4) IBBT -K.U.Leuven, Belgium, (5) IBBT -UGent/MIG, Belgium, (6) IBBT -UHasselt/EDM, (7)Wit Gele Kruis VZWThe sense of making good use of ICT applications in support of the activities of the daily live (ADL) of elderly people seems all too obvious. Meanwhile time adoption of these new services and applications in the healthcare market is slow, extremely slow in comparison with other sectors. Careful and user-centered design, proof-of concept testing and intelligent value market analysis, seem not to be sufficient to continue the life of many applications after running-out of project subsidies. This chapter will describe the hands-on-experience and the lessons learned of a multi-disciplinary team in Belgium, who has elaborated from 2005 to 2009 two R&D projects in the field of eHomeCare services (respectively COPLINTHO(1) and TranseCare(2)). These projects involved research teams from different disciplines and with industrial and care organizations as project partners. The projects were co-funded by the care organizations, industrial partners and the Flemish IWT and IBBT subsidiary channels. Currently efforts are being made both by the involved companies and by the IBBT to bring some of the developed services to the market. How to cross this gap from projects to market is still a challenge in the eHomeCare area