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Product-service system design
a synthesis appraoch
Dewit, Ivo
Type:
Year:
2019
Author:
Supervisor:
Jacoby, Alexis; Matthyssens, Paul
Institution:
University of Antwerp
Page(s):
275
DOI number:
ISBN:
978-90-5728-625-4
Website:
Front matter:
Abstract:
Scientific and social relevance
Every day, technological changes, social issues, the environment, and well-being challenge businesses and governments worldwide, causing user expectations and the new normal to evolve constantly and, above all, more rapidly. Organizations have no choice but to keep up with these developments and are forced to adapt and explore new avenues for innovation through the design and development of product-service systems (PSS). One possibility is to expand a product with a (customized) service, and vice versa. But PSS also makes it possible to design new systems and explore innovative interactions between consumers, their experience with new product-service combinations, and the providers of those combinations.
Positioning and demarcation
In the synthesis approach (integration of product and service), we focus on a number of areas in this study. In addition to exploitation, the exploration of new possibilities in the design of PSS is crucial for the long-term survival and development of organizations. This exploration should take place in the early stages of innovation (FEI). Finally, and in contrast to predominantly economic or ecological motives, we focus in this study on the user experience as a distinguishing factor, its importance and significance in their lives.
Methodology
We use design research methodology as our research strategy. The approach, structure, process flow, and design of research actions are based on two forms, namely Research in Design Context (research cycle 1) and Design Inclusive Research (research cycles 2-5). The systematic structure allows us to explore, create, and confirm PSS-related design knowledge, respectively through research in the context of design and by involving design in the research. Our theories are justified, validated, and consolidated under specific circumstances and in a multifaceted way to prove our assumptions and the reliability of the data and results.
Supported by our empirical findings, experiences of organizations, and student design projects in a PSS context, we present the most important insights regarding the contribution to design science and design research. We pay specific attention to their relevance for practitioners and academics in the field of PSS design.
PSS logic and preconditions
In the synthesis approach, we outline the emergence of PSS and identify the basis for integrated design(s). Research cycle 1 demonstrates the importance of proper support for integrated design (of PSS) through a combination of theory and expert interviews. Optimal support for the PSS design process must take into account, from a strategic and tactical level within an organization, an integrated logic and vision of PSS, preconditions (evaluation objectives) specific to the PSS design process, and possible transition paths towards that synthesis.
In research cycles 2-5, we develop a design process, tools, and techniques specifically for PSS that take this integrated logic into account. We investigated its influence on the design process (students' design practice), the designer, and the final design itself.
The design process
The resulting PSS design toolkit integrates human-centered design, interaction design, and systems thinking into a single methodology and guides its user(s) through three phases. The first phase serves to understand the context and determine the goal, a second phase to devise new products, services, and systems and develop them to the level of a final concept, and a third phase to simulate the scenario, relevant to and in the context of the user. Each step in the PSS design process is intended to motivate activity, which in turn will generate new goals and situations, each offering a new starting point for the design.
The designer
To determine the extent to which the PSS design toolkit supports the designer and influences their skills and way of thinking, we experimented with its various iterations in an educational context. As a result of integrated logic, designers must now also be able to design integrated solutions (PSS). They must be able to deal with the value for stakeholders, the individual needs of the end user, and responsibilities towards society. It is therefore important that designers make their design process explicit and understandable to others (across disciplines). This ‘design method’ works in a systematic way, but allows for flexibility in the approach. It is neither necessary nor realistic to follow and implement all PSS design tools, but in any case, each step requires reflection on whether there is sufficient understanding of the whole and the parts to continue through the process. It is therefore also important that students postpone a final choice of design ideas, which is necessary to allow for alternative solutions. When we compare the effect of the PSS design toolkit with an expected level of creativity support, exploration also clearly emerges as the most important and supportive factor. The PSS design toolkit and accompanying design process are necessary for design students to subsequently put this skill into practice.
The design
One of the biggest challenges with PSS tools is the lack of clear representation options during the process of the value of the whole, human interaction, and intangible aspects of the system. The PSS design toolkit plays a crucial role in this, externalizing the designer's way of thinking and making the PSS design process understandable and therefore more valuable to all involved. The toolkit enables designers to tackle different levels of abstraction simultaneously.
Every day, technological changes, social issues, the environment, and well-being challenge businesses and governments worldwide, causing user expectations and the new normal to evolve constantly and, above all, more rapidly. Organizations have no choice but to keep up with these developments and are forced to adapt and explore new avenues for innovation through the design and development of product-service systems (PSS). One possibility is to expand a product with a (customized) service, and vice versa. But PSS also makes it possible to design new systems and explore innovative interactions between consumers, their experience with new product-service combinations, and the providers of those combinations.
Positioning and demarcation
In the synthesis approach (integration of product and service), we focus on a number of areas in this study. In addition to exploitation, the exploration of new possibilities in the design of PSS is crucial for the long-term survival and development of organizations. This exploration should take place in the early stages of innovation (FEI). Finally, and in contrast to predominantly economic or ecological motives, we focus in this study on the user experience as a distinguishing factor, its importance and significance in their lives.
Methodology
We use design research methodology as our research strategy. The approach, structure, process flow, and design of research actions are based on two forms, namely Research in Design Context (research cycle 1) and Design Inclusive Research (research cycles 2-5). The systematic structure allows us to explore, create, and confirm PSS-related design knowledge, respectively through research in the context of design and by involving design in the research. Our theories are justified, validated, and consolidated under specific circumstances and in a multifaceted way to prove our assumptions and the reliability of the data and results.
Supported by our empirical findings, experiences of organizations, and student design projects in a PSS context, we present the most important insights regarding the contribution to design science and design research. We pay specific attention to their relevance for practitioners and academics in the field of PSS design.
PSS logic and preconditions
In the synthesis approach, we outline the emergence of PSS and identify the basis for integrated design(s). Research cycle 1 demonstrates the importance of proper support for integrated design (of PSS) through a combination of theory and expert interviews. Optimal support for the PSS design process must take into account, from a strategic and tactical level within an organization, an integrated logic and vision of PSS, preconditions (evaluation objectives) specific to the PSS design process, and possible transition paths towards that synthesis.
In research cycles 2-5, we develop a design process, tools, and techniques specifically for PSS that take this integrated logic into account. We investigated its influence on the design process (students' design practice), the designer, and the final design itself.
The design process
The resulting PSS design toolkit integrates human-centered design, interaction design, and systems thinking into a single methodology and guides its user(s) through three phases. The first phase serves to understand the context and determine the goal, a second phase to devise new products, services, and systems and develop them to the level of a final concept, and a third phase to simulate the scenario, relevant to and in the context of the user. Each step in the PSS design process is intended to motivate activity, which in turn will generate new goals and situations, each offering a new starting point for the design.
The designer
To determine the extent to which the PSS design toolkit supports the designer and influences their skills and way of thinking, we experimented with its various iterations in an educational context. As a result of integrated logic, designers must now also be able to design integrated solutions (PSS). They must be able to deal with the value for stakeholders, the individual needs of the end user, and responsibilities towards society. It is therefore important that designers make their design process explicit and understandable to others (across disciplines). This ‘design method’ works in a systematic way, but allows for flexibility in the approach. It is neither necessary nor realistic to follow and implement all PSS design tools, but in any case, each step requires reflection on whether there is sufficient understanding of the whole and the parts to continue through the process. It is therefore also important that students postpone a final choice of design ideas, which is necessary to allow for alternative solutions. When we compare the effect of the PSS design toolkit with an expected level of creativity support, exploration also clearly emerges as the most important and supportive factor. The PSS design toolkit and accompanying design process are necessary for design students to subsequently put this skill into practice.
The design
One of the biggest challenges with PSS tools is the lack of clear representation options during the process of the value of the whole, human interaction, and intangible aspects of the system. The PSS design toolkit plays a crucial role in this, externalizing the designer's way of thinking and making the PSS design process understandable and therefore more valuable to all involved. The toolkit enables designers to tackle different levels of abstraction simultaneously.
Description:
This dissertation focuses on an integrated approach to PSS design. We therefore define a PSS logic and associated preconditions (relevant regulations) to support the design process, and create a PSS design toolkit (usable approach) to enable the synthesis between product and service, rather than maintaining the dichotomy. With an emphasis on context, interrelationships, and the whole, we prepare future generations of designers for the challenges associated with designing product-service systems.
Keywords:
