Challenges in the design of smart product-service systems (PSSs) : Experiences from practitioners

Abstract

Smart Product-­?Service Systems (Smart PSSs) are market offerings that integrate products and services into one single solution through the implementation of IC technology. Smart PSSs allow organizations to develop relationships with consumers in new ways and have a growing presence in the marketplace. As designers’ involvement in the design of these offerings is likely to increase, the understanding of the challenges emerging from the integration of product and service is of increasing relevance for the effective management of the design process. To identify the challenges in the design of Smart PSSs, interviews with ten practitioners from various companies with experience in the design of Smart PSSs were conducted. Based on the findings, we outline seven challenges: defining the value proposition, maintaining the value proposition over time, creating high-­?quality interactions, creating coherence in the Smart PSS, stakeholder management, the clear communication of goals, and the selection of means and tools in the design process. Furthermore, we outline five ways in which designers can contribute to the design process through the use of their capacities: designers as foreseers of future scenarios, as guardians of experiences, as integrators of stakeholders’ needs, as problem solvers, and as visualizers of goals.