The Sources of Use-Information: A Review of Relevant Literature and an Exploration into Innovation and Aging

Abstract

This paper deploys a research agenda on innovation in aging societies. It identifies an important yet under-researched question concerning the relationship between technology and aging. How is knowledge about individual and societal aging exploited in innovation processes? To approach this question, the paper reviews different bodies of literature that explore the presence and representations of users and use in innovation. The review reveals that the well-known approach to categorize innovation processes according to their source of innovation should be complemented by a second dimension – the source of use information. A two dimensional space can thus be identified in which innovation projects can be positioned. This has a number of implications for further empirical research on innovation in aging societies. In particular, the paper proposes to investigate how “the elderly user” is constructed across a variety of types of innovation projects.