Product-service systems, a perspective shift for designers: A case study: the design of a telecentre

Abstract

A large perspective shift is informing corporate strategies in modern economies. Such strategies, once focused on product manufacture, are now aimed at providing product-service systems (PSS) i.e. systemic solutions including products and services. Designers, who have usually focused their activity on material products, have rarely been involved in the debate about the development of such systems. The shift to PSS therefore, represents a challenge for designers, who now need to extend their traditional logical domain and to develop new methodological tools. This paper explores such a shift, through a case study, the design of a telecentre.