SWiPE project’s researchers Eveliina Saari, Mervi Hasu and Sari Käpykangas have contributed, together with other researchers of KUMOUS-project, to a development of new kind of everyday life digital services and service combinations. KUMOUS-project studies the revolution of service-based economy and the human in the centre of digitalization. The subjects of the research were seven different service innovation trials, which were monitored during the period of 2015-2018 and promoted through the creation of a common learning assessment process.
The study showed that the services and work tasks can be considered contently meaningful in the context of digitalisation, when users of the service and employees are involved in the innovation and evaluation of new digital services. The study identified a recipe for successful and lasting results: strong enthusiasm at grass roots level, dialogue between management and practice, systematic progression and capturing the lessons learnt.
KUMOUS-project ended up with seven proposed measures. For professionals and service users, it is recommended that users and employees of the services are included in the evaluation of the digital experiments and that the anticipation of changes in work and skills is raised to a new level. The proposals for measures relating to the digital daily life of children and young people recommend the extension of learning environments and attention to family support, as well as the everyday management of young people in digital life. In the case of older people, KUMOUS recommends that the elderly are included in the technology design, there is a need for service guidance to prevent digital exclusion, and that technology uptake and operational development must be managed parallel.
The proposals for measures are on view in KUMOUS Policy Brief, where the main results of the project and the proposed measures are presented for the decision-makers and experts. The KUMOUS Policy Brief is available on the website Digikumous.fi (in Finnish).