Institute of Housing Research

Research in everyday domestic life

Our focus is on people, their relationships and the material conditions that support care and participation.

Four areas of work

Self-efficacy and support

Develop methods to maintain or increase self-efficacy among people with impaired health and their relatives. We ask which achievements depend on shared work and which choices people actually have.

New ways to investigate housing

Combine object-mounted sensing, virtual walkthroughs and observation in everyday settings. Changes in use are examined in relation to abilities, spatial conditions and routines.

Digital Living Lab companions

Design digital companions for research in healthcare settings: from understandable study and consent workflows to feedback and documented export.

Making latent constructs testable

Develop hypothesis-driven methods for burden, self-efficacy and the value of support. Observable events are combined with self-report and contextual data; alternative explanations are part of the analysis.

How we work

We start with a concrete question and work with participants to determine which observations can inform which decisions. Prototypes make assumptions open to discussion. Studies should document limitations, missing data and unintended consequences alongside potential benefits.

Participation includes the right to reject a technology, limit observation and question research aims. Open software and transparent documentation should enable students, professionals and citizens to contribute.