New digital products also require new knowledge from the target group, e.g., about how to use or operate them. Especially when using new digital technologies such as artificial intelligence, stakeholders want to understand how the application works when it is used in their own company. Training can help, as can involving stakeholders as the project progresses. A good user interface can also break down barriers to accessing digital products.

New digital products often require changes in companies or individuals. These may include new routines, the need for training, or changes in economic processes. By involving the product's target audience in the research process, these barriers can be addressed directly. User interfaces can then be designed accordingly, and the necessary changes in everyday life can be minimized through user-centered development.

The development of digital products in the energy sector often brings together very different disciplines, e.g., energy technology and IT, as well as different contexts, e.g., science and practice. This is often an enrichment for the project context, as it generates new knowledge and products that would not have been created through the work of a single discipline. When it comes to the question of continuity, however, there is sometimes the hurdle that none of the actors bundles all the knowledge in order to market it. Solutions could include a joint spin-off or the development of new expertise within the companies.

Digital products and applications often involve the use of sensitive data. For this reason, data protection agreements are concluded. Experience shows that the hurdle for making data available for a research project is often much lower than for commercial use, at least as long as the added value is not clear. At the same time, these agreements need to be made early in the research project. Where relevant, the possibility of commercial exploitation should already be covered. One way to do this is to communicate these options openly and early on, and to explain the need for them. At the same time, however, it should also be considered whether the same data will be needed for the fully developed application or whether a smaller amount of data might be sufficient.

Digital literacy is an important issue, especially for digital products that address a broad target group such as tenants. Not everyone has easy cognitive or organizational access to digital applications. However, this does not only apply to private individuals; digital literacy is not widely available in some companies either. Thus, if the digital solution requires widespread use within a certain framework (e.g., in a company or in an apartment building), then this must be considered and, if necessary, analog solutions should be considered that can be offered as a supplement.