Design Thinking Applied to Smart Home Projects: A User-Centric and Sustainable Perspective

Abstract

This paper aims to propose a conceptual model to create and select smart home conceptions from the user-centric and sustainable perspective, using the Design Thinking approach. Although considerable research has been devoted to smart homes in the last two decades, gaps are evident in current research concerning the creation and selection of smart home conceptions from both user-centric and sustainable perspectives. A systematic literature review covering the period 2000–2020 indicated that Design Thinking (DT) has rarely been exploited in smart home projects. The applicability of the proposed model could be demonstrated in the context of a smart home project in Brazil (NO.V.A. Project) conducted by an energy distribution player in this country in cooperation with two local universities and other institutional partners. The replication of this approach in smart home projects will allow decision-makers and project managers to place future residents at the center of the smart home design, creating and selecting the best conceptions that will meet users’ desires, expectations, and needs that can be transformed into reality.