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Designing With, Not For: Reimagining Participatory Design With Rural, Indigenous Artisans, Daniela Chavarria, Beatrice Villari Oct 2025

Designing With, Not For: Reimagining Participatory Design With Rural, Indigenous Artisans, Daniela Chavarria, Beatrice Villari

ServDes Conference Series

Artisanal production is crucial in sustaining the socioeconomic, cultural, and environmental fabric of rural and Indigenous communities, supporting the livelihoods, identity, and collective memory of artisan communities. However, globalization plus market pressures marginalize these traditions, prioritizing external consumer expectations over cultural integrity. While designers have sought to support artisans through collaborative efforts, such initiatives risk replicating Western-centric frameworks that undermine local knowledge and reinforce power asymmetries. This paper examines how equal collaboration, rooted in trust and flexibility, offers participatory engagement while promoting equitable partnerships from a designer-activist perspective. Drawing on the ARTESANICO laboratory, an organic, practice-led design initiative in Colombia …

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Empowering Rural Women Of Olasahi: Service Blueprint For A Community-Driven Sustainable Revenue Model, Gatikrushna Mohapatra, Seema Krishnakumar Oct 2025

Empowering Rural Women Of Olasahi: Service Blueprint For A Community-Driven Sustainable Revenue Model, Gatikrushna Mohapatra, Seema Krishnakumar

ServDes Conference Series

This research paper explores the development of a sustainable business model for rural women in Olasahi, Jajpur, Odisha. Women in this region primarily engage in traditional snack-making but lack access to structured markets, have limited sources of revenue, and have limited financial awareness. The study integrates service design principles with entrepreneurship models to create a sustainable revenue framework enabling financial independence. A mixed-methods approach was employed, including surveys, focus group discussions, and case study analyses. The study highlights key barriers such as limited financial literacy, market inaccessibility, and a lack of structured business knowledge. It also identifies scalable solutions inspired …

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Affordable Housing Using Bamboo: A Community-Driven Service Design Inquiry Using Creative What-If Exercises, Rajarshi Ray, Parthasarathi Mukhopadhyay Oct 2025

Affordable Housing Using Bamboo: A Community-Driven Service Design Inquiry Using Creative What-If Exercises, Rajarshi Ray, Parthasarathi Mukhopadhyay

ServDes Conference Series

Affordable Housing (AH) remains a critical global issue, especially for economically weaker sections (EWS) of the developing countries like India. Non-affordability of typical building materials, make the EWS choose alternate materials like bamboo, which is traditionally-used in the tropics for being sustainable and affordable. However, challenges related to standardisation and societal perception hinder its mainstreaming. This warrants a holistic design approach like Service Design (SD), connecting different stakeholders involved with AH using bamboo, at the system level. While SD has wide application across different sectors, its role in building industry, remains relatively underexplored. Subsequently, four community-driven Indian initiatives are studied …

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Invisible Hands, Indispensable Work: Human Centered Systemic Insights Into India’S Informal Service Of Domestic Work, Rahul Satish Mudukutore, Suprita Chaudhary, Debjani Roy, Veda Shetye, Mallika Kayastha Oct 2025

Invisible Hands, Indispensable Work: Human Centered Systemic Insights Into India’S Informal Service Of Domestic Work, Rahul Satish Mudukutore, Suprita Chaudhary, Debjani Roy, Veda Shetye, Mallika Kayastha

ServDes Conference Series

Domestic work in India constitutes a vast yet unregulated sector. This study employs a service centric approach to explore the systemic challenges faced by domestic workers. Through a mixed - methods approach including in - depth interviews, surveys, ethnographic studies, and service design analysis, we uncover key findings related to employment precarity, employer - worker power dynamics, and the informal nature of hiring practices. Our research highlights critical gaps in legal protections, lack of standardized employment contracts, and the socio - cultural barriers reinforcing domestic work as undervalued labour. Using stakeholder mapping, ecosystem analysis, and service blueprints, we identify intervention …

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The Idea Of Service Design: Understanding Its Evolving Nature, Parthasarathi Mukhopadhyay, Rajarshi Ray Oct 2025

The Idea Of Service Design: Understanding Its Evolving Nature, Parthasarathi Mukhopadhyay, Rajarshi Ray

ServDes Conference Series

Service Design (SD) stands out as one of the most promising design approaches by virtue of its adaptability, for which the idea and definition of SD is undergoing continuous evolution; and like any other profession, the evolution has been manifested in both practice and academia. By studying 21 definitions between 1978 and 2019, this paper attempts to understand the nature of the evolution of the idea. It is being observed that the core principle of being business centric has been gradually replaced by being customer centric; further addition of core principle of mutual benefit followed by reciprocal benefit to value …

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Naadsaathi: Physiotherapy As A Service For Tabla Players, Atharv Mahamuni Oct 2025

Naadsaathi: Physiotherapy As A Service For Tabla Players, Atharv Mahamuni

ServDes Conference Series

Repetitive strain injuries are common among musicians; however, rehabilitation services remain largely reactive. This paper presents NaadSaathi, a physiotherapy service concept specifically for Tabla players considering the unique postures, asymmetrical workload, and repetitive movement patterns of Tabla playing. Some musicians avoid digital rehab, fearing it disconnects them from tradition. NaadSaathi blends Do-It-Yourself (DIY) exercise programs, tele-physiotherapy, and in-person therapy with digital posture monitoring. This work contributes to the intersection of physiotherapy (healthcare), high-tech interventions, and service design by redefining injury management for percussionists helping them return to peak performance while preserving tradition.

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An Analysis Of The Process Enhancing Civic Pride Among Participants In The Participatory Local Public Relations 'Koba Output Lab', Linxuan Tan Oct 2025

An Analysis Of The Process Enhancing Civic Pride Among Participants In The Participatory Local Public Relations 'Koba Output Lab', Linxuan Tan

ServDes Conference Series

This study examines the Participatory Local Public Relations(PLPR) initiative "Koba Output Lab" in Japan, analyzing how citizen engagement in graphic design fosters Civic Pride and social cohesion. Using the Modified Grounded Theory Approach (M GTA), the study finds that participation enhances regional understanding, strengthens community bonds, and improves expressive abilities. Through Citizen Coproduction, participants transitioned from initial indifference to expressing local values. This study contributes to Participatory Design and offers insights for local governments, demonstrating how Service Design facilitates "diversity-driven" and "long-term impact" approaches in Social Innovation.

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Smart Fuelling: The Intersection Of Technology, Safety, And Consumer Convenience In Fuel Delivery, Apurva Kanade, Sachin Jadhav Oct 2025

Smart Fuelling: The Intersection Of Technology, Safety, And Consumer Convenience In Fuel Delivery, Apurva Kanade, Sachin Jadhav

ServDes Conference Series

Fuel delivery is a major disruptor since on-demand services' emergence results in creative ideas across several sectors. Conventional fuel stations have difficulties like safety issues, long lines, and fuel adulteration. This paper investigates how smart fueling solutions integrating mobile platforms, safety protocols, and user centered design can address consumer pain points while aligning with broader mobility and sustainability trends. Drawing on surveys, interviews, market analysis, and competitor benchmarking, the study proposes FuelX, a conceptual service model combining verified fuel quality, emergency refueling, GPS-enabled delivery, and user-friendly digital interfaces. Through extensive research of industry trends, user personas, technological integration, and safety …

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Design For Dignity: A Designer's Quest For Social Justice, Aanalde Nair, Vinodkumar Vyas, Saurav Khuttiya Deori Oct 2025

Design For Dignity: A Designer's Quest For Social Justice, Aanalde Nair, Vinodkumar Vyas, Saurav Khuttiya Deori

ServDes Conference Series

Caste based discrimination in India continues to deny dignity, equality and access to basic rights for Scheduled Castes especially in rural areas. This study investigates the underlying beliefs, economic dependencies and social conditioning that sustains these practices. Intervention included informal door-to-door surveys, focus groups, awareness campaigns and collective reflection. The study concludes that legal enforcement alone is insufficient, sustainable change requires inclusive, community led strategies that foster ownership, empathy and co-creation.

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Service Design In The Age Of Ai – An Analysis Of Real-World Use Cases, Himanshu Warudkar Oct 2025

Service Design In The Age Of Ai – An Analysis Of Real-World Use Cases, Himanshu Warudkar

ServDes Conference Series

This paper analyses the critical intersection of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Service Design, exploring how AI integration fundamentally reshapes business operations and customer interactions. Through a qualitative study of real-world use cases, this research provides a comprehensive overview of current applications, categorizing them into mechanical, thinking, and feeling AI to frame the discussion. The analysis illuminates’ opportunities and challenges presented by this technological convergence. It addresses key paradoxes, such as augmentation versus automation, and investigates the ethical, legal, and societal implications of human-AI collaboration. This work bridges research gaps by providing a richer conceptualization of AI's impact, offering a framework …

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Designing And Evaluating Service Design Tools Based On The Philosophy Of Web3, Satoru Tokuhisa Oct 2025

Designing And Evaluating Service Design Tools Based On The Philosophy Of Web3, Satoru Tokuhisa

ServDes Conference Series

Web3 incorporates blockchain technology, decentralisation, and token economies, requiring new service design approaches. Existing design principles, tools, methods, and processes were developed before Web3 and may not address its unique characteristics. This paper extracts four Web3 characteristics − Ownership, Transparency, Tokenisation, and Community Governance − through literature review and constructs three corresponding service design tools: a service concept sheet, community member journey map, and service ecosystem map. Semi-structured interviews with five Web3 and service design experts evaluated these tools through content analysis, identifying improvement areas and refinement proposals.

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Mitigating Barriers In Novice Designers’ Prototyping With Ai: A Comprehensive Approach, Keita Mitomi, Koki Kusano Oct 2025

Mitigating Barriers In Novice Designers’ Prototyping With Ai: A Comprehensive Approach, Keita Mitomi, Koki Kusano

ServDes Conference Series

Prototyping plays a crucial role in design thinking, yet many novice designers fail to adopt it due to insufficient value recognition, limited technical skills, and psychological barriers. This study proposes a new approach by integrating a generative AI-based chat system to simultaneously address these three obstacles. In a two-month exploration with four participants focusing on circular economy themes, we developed two interactive tools—“Jibungoto Design Navigator” and “Try-It-Out Navigator.” Our findings indicate that AI-driven dialogues help clarify project goals, boost self-efficacy, and reduce the fear of failure through rapid prototyping support. The participants created both low- and high-fidelity prototypes with fewer …

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Preparing A Comprehensive And Accessible Design Ethnography In Complex Environments: Reflections Based On Case Studies From 3 Uk Nhs Emergency Departments, Wenbo Ai, Alison Prendiville Oct 2025

Preparing A Comprehensive And Accessible Design Ethnography In Complex Environments: Reflections Based On Case Studies From 3 Uk Nhs Emergency Departments, Wenbo Ai, Alison Prendiville

ServDes Conference Series

This paper discusses the ethical and ethnographic preparation methods employed in the initial discovery phase of a co-design research project, aimed at enhancing the blood culture pathway for potential sepsis patients in UK emergency departments across three NHS trust hospitals. Conducting thorough observations in such complex, busy settings within limited time frames poses significant challenges. Minimising disruptions becomes key, especially in high-pressure work environments. Elaborate preparation of observation methods leads to more productive findings and reduces the need for repeated visits, promoting mutual respect between researchers and stakeholders. This paper offers valuable strategies for service design researchers to prepare effectively …

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Supporting Municipalities’ Design Capabilities Through Urban Experimentation, Nicola Morelli, Patricia Csobánczi, Rike Neuhoff, Luca Simeone Oct 2025

Supporting Municipalities’ Design Capabilities Through Urban Experimentation, Nicola Morelli, Patricia Csobánczi, Rike Neuhoff, Luca Simeone

ServDes Conference Series

Cities are facing radical changes due to the simultaneous action of environmental, social, technical and regulatory factors. At the same time, they are the place where change happens and the main resources for change are available. In this context, cities are pressed to take action, but also to change their attitude towards urban innovation, shifting from a rational-administrative approach to a design-experimental one. An EU-funded project offered the opportunity for a collaboration between the project’s design team and public servants from 12 cities. This offers insights on the role of design resources in a sandboxing process, and on how this …

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Power Compass: A Template For Navigating Power In Service Design, Michalina Fidos, Mari Suoheimo, Shaohua Pan, Peter Hayward Jones Oct 2025

Power Compass: A Template For Navigating Power In Service Design, Michalina Fidos, Mari Suoheimo, Shaohua Pan, Peter Hayward Jones

ServDes Conference Series

Service designers often encounter power dynamics that shape their role in enabling change. This study explores how and why designers experience power in practice, drawing on ecological systems theory (EST) to map experiences gathered through a case study of five focus groups with international practitioners. Leverage analysis is then used to conceptualise these insights. By intersecting these two frameworks, we developed the Power Compass - a project-centred template that visualises how social, political, and ecological forces converge in design projects, revealing power as both a source of agency and a constraint. The template aims to support designers in identifying, analysing, …

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Designing From Aidagara: A Study Of Cultural Philosophy And Service Design Norms, Kazutoshi Sakaguchi Oct 2025

Designing From Aidagara: A Study Of Cultural Philosophy And Service Design Norms, Kazutoshi Sakaguchi

ServDes Conference Series

This study explores holistic system design rooted in Japanese cultural philosophy and its implications for service design (SD). Focusing on concepts such as aidagara (relationality) and pure experience, the research examines how traditional practices including Washoku and Makunouchi bento, embody interdependence, contextual sensitivity, and non-dualistic perception. These philosophies offer an alternative to Western design paradigms, which emphasize linearity, objectivity, and reductionism. Through case studies, this paper analyzes Japanese aesthetic and social practices as models for inclusive, sustainable service ecosystems. The study contributes to the Pluriverse by broadening the epistemological foundations of SD and highlighting culturally grounded strategies for sustainability.

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From Projects To Programs: An Alternative Approach To Service Design Practice, Josina Vink, Vanessa Rodrigues, Audun Formo Hay, Karin Petrusson, Matilda Legeby, Katarina Wetter-Edman, Stefan Holmlid Oct 2025

From Projects To Programs: An Alternative Approach To Service Design Practice, Josina Vink, Vanessa Rodrigues, Audun Formo Hay, Karin Petrusson, Matilda Legeby, Katarina Wetter-Edman, Stefan Holmlid

ServDes Conference Series

Service design (SD) practice has been shifting its aims from new service development toward service system transformation. Despite the complexity, uncertainty and non-linearity of such an ambition, SD continues to employ project based structures to organise its processes. Recognising that such organising frameworks often limit service design’s transformative potential, this paper explores how a programmatic approach can be applied to SD practice aimed at service system transformation. Drawing from three SD programs conducted in Norway and Sweden, we outline four core contributions of a programmatic approach to service system transformation: 1) supporting open-ended inquiry; 2) encouraging situated experimentation; 3) promoting …

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Playing With Failure: A Queer Framework For Making Service Systems Otherwise, Josina Vink, Enrique Encinas, Daphne Chan, Shreya Bhattacharya Oct 2025

Playing With Failure: A Queer Framework For Making Service Systems Otherwise, Josina Vink, Enrique Encinas, Daphne Chan, Shreya Bhattacharya

ServDes Conference Series

Despite its claims of driving transformation in service systems, service design often ends up reproducing the status quo and normalizing others into dominant social expectations. If we want to move away from the circulation of hegemonic structures within the practice, the service design discipline needs to be challenged. This paper explores how service design can be undisciplined to create a grammar of possibility for making service systems otherwise. Drawing on experiences from an experimental 7-week service design research and education collaboration with hospital-based mental health services in Norway, this research presents a queer framework that reveals the entanglement of normative …

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Resilient By Design: The Dissolution Of Alternative Food Networks, Cagri G. Varli, Stefano Maffei Oct 2025

Resilient By Design: The Dissolution Of Alternative Food Networks, Cagri G. Varli, Stefano Maffei

ServDes Conference Series

Alternative food networks (AFNs) are often presented through peak-period success stories, leaving their entire lifecycle — transformations, challenges, and reconfigurations — underexplored. By rethinking AFN dissolution process through a service design lens, this study examines how embedded values, networks, and operational models evolve beyond their initial structures. The research uses a new generation consumer cooperative as a case study, and it employs multiple sources of evidence — semi-structured interviews, archival data, media sources, and direct observations — to analyze the cooperative’s evolution. Findings reveal how AFNs transition from grassroots initiatives to structured models but struggle with economic constraints and governance …

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The Pen Is A Mighty Service Design Tool, Frida Almqvist Oct 2025

The Pen Is A Mighty Service Design Tool, Frida Almqvist

ServDes Conference Series

Writing has received limited attention in service design research, practice and education. Meanwhile, writing is intertwined in everything we do. This study advocates for a greater focus on writing, arguing that this will strengthen the field of service design. Also, text is identified as service design material. Creative writing is pinpointed as an area from which service design can learn. The overall study draws on learnings from exploring 40 creative writing methods in 22 sessions with service design students and practitioners. This paper zooms in on four sessions, and explorations of the methods Automatic writing and Shitty first drafts. The …

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How Can Public Service Design Adapt To "Supply-Demand Coupling"? A Case Study Of Elderly Health Service In Shanghai, Chuanqi Tang, Wanqiang Li, Fei Hu Oct 2025

How Can Public Service Design Adapt To "Supply-Demand Coupling"? A Case Study Of Elderly Health Service In Shanghai, Chuanqi Tang, Wanqiang Li, Fei Hu

ServDes Conference Series

As the contradiction between people's demand for multi-level, refined public services and the limited-service supply becomes increasingly prominent, how to achieve precise matching between service supply and demand, namely "supply-demand coupling", has become a key problem in enhancing the quality of public services. This paper combines coupling theory with classic service design tools to innovate a supply-demand coupling toolkit. To verify the effectiveness of this toolkit in public service design, a design practice of elderly health service in Shanghai was conducted. The research proves that this toolkit, by identifying and explicating the supply-demand relationship in the service system, helps designers …

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Bridging The Learning Gap In Inclusive Preschool Classrooms: Impact Of Soft Teaching Materials On Behavioural Challenges, Sree Rajitha, Shahid Mohammad Oct 2025

Bridging The Learning Gap In Inclusive Preschool Classrooms: Impact Of Soft Teaching Materials On Behavioural Challenges, Sree Rajitha, Shahid Mohammad

ServDes Conference Series

An inclusive classroom embraces diversity while nurturing the shared bond of childhood, giving an equitable opportunity for every child to learn and grow, irrespective of their cognitive capabilities. Children with sensory processing disorders tend to get disruptive when emotionally frustrated or overwhelmed. Oftentimes, these disruptions give rise to safety concerns, emphasizing the need for safe teaching materials and the presence of support teachers. Soft tools serve as safe and engaging alternatives, simultaneously facilitating tactile therapy for emotional self regulation. This study applies service design principles to enhance and expand the role of soft teaching materials from mere toys to tools …

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From Affirmative-Technological To Critical-Humanistic Tech Trends: A Speculative Framework For Service Design Futures, Yong-Ki Lee Oct 2025

From Affirmative-Technological To Critical-Humanistic Tech Trends: A Speculative Framework For Service Design Futures, Yong-Ki Lee

ServDes Conference Series

This paper presents a speculative framework for service design education, practice, and research in light of emerging technologies. It examines the evolution of service design through stages, from its foundations to a “thinking” era, and proposes a model for “Service Design 2.0” that considers industry-led, human-centred, and information driven approaches. The paper explores future trends in service design practice, emphasizing socio-technical systems thinking and learning systems. Design research is discussed in terms of evolving user-designer interactions, moving toward symbiotic relationships where designing and using become intertwined. Finally, the paper advocates for a balanced design education that integrates arts, engineering, computer …

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Building A Resilient Local Youth Community In South Korea: A Case Study Of The “Workday Club”, Yong-Ki Lee Oct 2025

Building A Resilient Local Youth Community In South Korea: A Case Study Of The “Workday Club”, Yong-Ki Lee

ServDes Conference Series

This research explores the factors that contribute to resilient local youth communities in South Korea, using the “Workday Club” as a case study. It examines how these communities combat the challenges posed by urbanization and migration to Seoul causing a regional decline and a depopulation crisis. The study emphasizes the importance of rekindling traditional Korean community values, like “Dure,” which fosters collaboration and social support. The research also analyses youth communities and entrepreneurship and identifies critical factors such as social engagement and entrepreneurial opportunities as key to building resilience. Ultimately, it provides insights and strategies for building thriving youth communities …

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Air Traffic Management As A Service For Urban Air Mobility In Indian Cities: A Study For Scalable And Adaptive Design Framework For Optimizing Airspace Over Rail, Metro, And Roads, Shovan Kanti Kar, Deepak John Mathew, Mahesh M. S, Aastha Mariam John Oct 2025

Air Traffic Management As A Service For Urban Air Mobility In Indian Cities: A Study For Scalable And Adaptive Design Framework For Optimizing Airspace Over Rail, Metro, And Roads, Shovan Kanti Kar, Deepak John Mathew, Mahesh M. S, Aastha Mariam John

ServDes Conference Series

Urban Air Mobility offers an innovative solution to traffic congestion in Indian cities by introducing aerial transport to ease pressure on road networks. To ensure safe and efficient UAM operations, Air Traffic Management (ATM) as a Service is crucial. This framework facilitates real-time coordination between aerial and ground transportation, leveraging existing airspace over metro, rail, and highways to create an integrated urban mobility system. This study explores a service design approach to ATM, focusing on AI-powered air traffic management, real-time communication, and user-friendly systems. AI-driven predictive models optimize UAM routes, reduce congestion, and enhance safety. Additionally, the study examines policy …

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Exploring Experiential Insighting., Ted Matthews, Adrian Michalak-Paulsen Oct 2025

Exploring Experiential Insighting., Ted Matthews, Adrian Michalak-Paulsen

ServDes Conference Series

Service design is increasingly recognized as a valuable contributor to user-centred innovation in the public sector. However, a lack of focus on public servants’ emotional experiences may limit its impact. This paper introduces “experiential insighting” as a human-centred approach to fostering empathy and understanding of bureaucrats’ lived experiences within the Norwegian public sector. In 2024, service design master’s students transposed these experiences into interactive installations, which were later presented at a conference. Feedback from policymakers and bureaucrats suggests that the experiential insighting installations effectively communicated key experiences, fostering empathy, stimulating dialogue, and enrichening communication. The study highlights the role of …

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Improving Last Mile Transport Connectivity In Rural India: A Case Study Of Village Sangurdi, Vivaswan Ramdasi, Prasad Onkar Oct 2025

Improving Last Mile Transport Connectivity In Rural India: A Case Study Of Village Sangurdi, Vivaswan Ramdasi, Prasad Onkar

ServDes Conference Series

Last mile connectivity in rural India is a major issue which grapples majority of the Indian population. Particularly, transport connectivity towards last mile (final link between public transports to residence) in rural India is not properly addressed, which leads to hindrance in smooth functioning of daily lives of individuals. This paper aims to put forward an approach towards finding a solution to this problem, using service design methodology, ethnographic research and community driven service solution model. For creating the solution framework, a village named “Sangurdi” in Pune district of Maharashtra, India is taken as an example to understand the issues …

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Congruence Of Futures Thinking And Service Design Enabled By Artificial Intelligence, Sylvan Lobo, Sanandan Ratkal, Bhaskarjyoti Das, Ravi Mahamuni Oct 2025

Congruence Of Futures Thinking And Service Design Enabled By Artificial Intelligence, Sylvan Lobo, Sanandan Ratkal, Bhaskarjyoti Das, Ravi Mahamuni

ServDes Conference Series

As emerging technologies, societal trends, and evolving customer needs continue to reshape industries, service design must cater to longer-term future-oriented challenges. Service design involves proposing desirable solutions, and depending on the timescale considered, this shares similarities with speculative design and futures studies. Designers still find it difficult to use such approaches, tending towards conventional design, further impeded by organizational resistance. The synergy between futures thinking and service design remains underexplored. As artificial intelligence (AI), and other transformative technologies evolve, there is a potential to support design practices that anticipate and address future challenges. This paper explores how principles of futures …

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Design Tensions Between Attractiveness And Inclusivity In Milan Public Universities: The Case Of A Student Housing Orientation Service, Nicole Sacchetti, Daniela Sangiorgi Oct 2025

Design Tensions Between Attractiveness And Inclusivity In Milan Public Universities: The Case Of A Student Housing Orientation Service, Nicole Sacchetti, Daniela Sangiorgi

ServDes Conference Series

As Milan public universities compete globally to attract economic capital and student flows, they simultaneously face growing challenges in addressing the housing affordability crisis affecting their student populations. This paper reflects on the design tensions emerging within the service ecosystem of Politecnico di Milano, starting from the shortcomings encountered during the development of the multidisciplinary research-action project StudMIHome: Students Living in Milan; a study on student housing conducted by three research departments of the university, with the objective of prototyping and testing a housing orientation service for students.

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Lessons From A Community Facility: Enacting A Philosophy Of Practice In Local Diverse Communities., Lucas Vaqueiro, Gabriela Karolak, Priyanka Jain Oct 2025

Lessons From A Community Facility: Enacting A Philosophy Of Practice In Local Diverse Communities., Lucas Vaqueiro, Gabriela Karolak, Priyanka Jain

ServDes Conference Series

This paper examines a community visioning process conducted by design researchers from 3x3, a community-centered design practice, in collaboration with a local government in Eastern Pennsylvania. The municipal government sought to create a new community facility to address the needs of a town shaped by cultural, social, and economic differences, while celebrating the diversity within the community. We discuss the design research methods used to engage residents in defining the facility’s purpose, programming, and spatial features. Additionally, we reflect on building trust, facilitating cross-community dialogue, and balancing equity and impact in public investments. The paper highlights the evolving role of …

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