Power of co-creation: new services through 101 tech experimentations with residents

Over the past three years, several technology pilots related to health and well-being have been experimented in Helsinki as part of the international CommuniCity project which coordinated 101 pilots in 19 European cities. A total of 27 pilots were run by Forum Virium Helsinki, the City of Helsinki’s innovation company. The solutions focused on social challenges related to enhancing well-being, managing life, and digital inclusion. The aim was to empower marginalised groups.

In the project, the piloting activities emphasised collaborative innovation with residents who were closely involved in all of the phases of the pilots, from formulating the challenges to giving feedback. “Their views, experiences, and ideas have been central to the success of the pilots. Residents have shared valuable insights to the companies and public operators, such as the City of Helsinki, that participated in the pilots,” says Silja Peltonen, Project Manager who steered CommuniCity in Helsinki.

There were three rounds of Europe-wide open calls for pilots during the three years of the CommuniCity project. The open calls for pilots always consist of challenges that companies aim to solve with their innovations. In the Helsinki area, challenges were presented by City of Helsinki operators, ranging from senior centers to rehabilitative work activities and disability services. In the final pilot round, the Laakso Joint Hospital project also presented challenges.

The average duration of one pilot was about six months, during which technological innovations were developed together with residents. The pilots were co-created with over 2,000 residents and 1,500 experts. The pilots coordinated by Forum Virium Helsinki involved approximately 1,200 citizens and about 300 experts from the City of Helsinki and other participating organisations.

Support for Care and Diagnostics

Many pilots introduced new technological solutions to social and healthcare services. Some, such as a sensor fabric installed in a wheelchair seat cushion to prevent pressure ulcers, focused specifically on preventive care. Other solutions were more about easing the care work situation currently at hand. Examples include virtual reality-based nature experiences co-developed with experience specialists and aimed at psychiatric patients.

Many pilots aimed at both easing the work of healthcare professionals and streamlining the customer experience. These included the age-related hearing testing method from Otos Health Oy, piloted at the Tikkurila Health Centre in Vantaa. The pilot streamlines and speeds up testing and the customer’s access to further treatment. A self-service point from MedicubeX Oy, piloted at the Helsinki University Hospital (HUS) Cancer Outpatient Clinic, saved nurses’ time by enabling self-service routine measurements.

“When we started planning the Laakso Joint Hospital, we immediately recognized that new innovations needed to be found for the new hospital to ease the staff’s work and increase patient comfort. Within the framework of the CommuniCity collaboration, we were able to conduct insightful pilots that met the needs,” says Sami Salmi, Development Manager at HUS-ICT. Hospitals involved in the hospital project’s pilots included Peijas and Ohkola Hospitals, as well as the neurology rehabilitation unit.

Digital Inclusion and New Daily Life Skills

In addition to streamlining healthcare, the CommuniCity project also promoted digital inclusion. The result of two conducted pilots with the environmental services of the City of Helsinki’s Urban Environment Division was the creation of services that guide non-Finnish-speaking residents. One of the solutions is the Omni Audio application, which guides those moving around the city in 12 languages to find sustainable everyday services.

Several digital pilots related to working life. Some helped those involved in rehabilitative work activities to develop various new skills, while others focused on identifying existing competence. The goal of all these pilots was to develop the users’ know-how.

Many pilots in the CommuniCity project utilised augmented or virtual reality. Some used these technologies for emotional regulation, while in others, the enriched reality was a place for new learning. In pilots carried out with people with intellectual disabilities, virtual reality proved to be a functional way to learn daily skills such as cleaning, job seeking, or getting used to new social situations.

Piloting Activities Continue and Develop Even After the Project

The success of the CommuniCity project is based on diverse collaboration between experts, cities, and residents. For the pilots to lead to insights and eventually to functional innovations, solutions must be developed in close cooperation and in real environments. Some of the pilots carried out during CommuniCity have already been put into use, and others are being developed by companies based on the received feedback to better meet the needs of professionals and residents.

As a methodology agile piloting is well known and widely utilised in Helsinki, but for many other cities involved in the CommuniCity project, the model was new. The project enabled the culture of agile piloting to spread and strengthen across Europe. The models learned and the technological solutions created in the project serve as a guide for future projects aiming to generate even better services for all city residents.

Read more about Piloting and Open Calls from CommuniCity Manuals.