Living Hub: setting up a living lab for Simulation based Design activities

As the world population grows older and the exceptional event of the Covid-19 pandemic radically modified our habits, the theme of wellbeing within the domestic environment is gaining importance in the design scope. To provide effective solutions for allowing fragile or elderly users to maintain independence at home, designers need to be able to investigate people’s lifestyles to empathize with their needs. High fidelity simulation – a method frequently used in the sanitary field for education purposes – allows to obtain precise data and useful insights that would not be acquired through traditional User Research methods. To leverage this potential, a simulated home environment must be set up, where to conduct research activities and experiments. The article describes the design process of Living Hub, a 74 mq living lab that simulates a domestic apartment, equipped of audio/visual recording tools and sensors. The modular setting allows to create several scenarios to study inclusive solutions for every user target.