%0 Journal Article %J Technology Innovation Management Review %D 2012 %T Structuring User Involvement in Panel-Based Living Labs %A Dimitri Schuurman %A Lieven De Marez %K customer characteristics %K living labs %K Open innovation %K user panels %K user-driven innovation %X A shift towards open innovation approaches with systematic user involvement has occurred within media and ICT. One of the emerging frameworks structuring these initiatives is the "living lab" approach. Despite the growing evidence of the beneficial nature of customer involvement in product development, research into specific user characteristics for innovation is still scarce, particularly in living labs, with the notable exception of literature on lead users. Especially within the context of living labs for ICT and media innovation, an application of the lead-user framework looks promising as a way to structure and facilitate user involvement. This article is based on the experiences of three Flemish living lab initiatives with a panel-based approach and provides a customer characteristics framework that guides user involvement in living labs. %B Technology Innovation Management Review %I Talent First Network %C Ottawa %V 2 %P 31-38 %8 09/2012 %U http://timreview.ca/article/606 %N 9 %1 Ghent University Dimitri Schuurman is a PhD Candidate at Ghent University, where he started working for the MICT (Media & ICT) research group at in November 2005 and received a position as a principal living lab researcher for IBBT-iLab.o in the Mediatuin and LeYLab living labs in 2010. Dimitri's research mainly involves methods for ICT innovation. He focuses on the ways the user can be involved within various innovation methods and techniques (lead user methodology, Living Labs, panel studies), and especially which users to use at what stage within the innovation process, rather than simply involving "the user". Furthermore, he devotes special attention to the specific role of media content within the process of adoption and diffusion of ICTs. %2 Ghent University Lieven De Marez is Research Director at MICT and teaches innovation research and new communication technologies at the department of Communication Sciences in Ghent University. Previously, he worked as a research assistant on methodology and statistics at the Department of Communication Sciences of Ghent University after obtaining his Master’s degree in Communication Sciences (1999) and Marketing (2000). Through his subsequent PhD research, he developed a segmentation-forecasting tool for prior-to-launch prediction of adoption potential and created a blueprint for better introduction strategies for ICT innovations in today’s volatile market environment. Within the interdisciplinary institute for BroadBand Technology (IBBT), of which MICT is one of the 16 research groups, Lieven is also part of the management team of iLab.o, IBBT’s facilitating infrastructure for Living Lab research. %R http://doi.org/10.22215/timreview/606