Teaching PSS in business practice: A win-win-win approach

Abstract

This paper presents the findings gained through the implementation of the renewed Product Service Systems (PSS) course within the Design for Sustainability curriculum in 2010. Based upon the outcomes of our recent PSS research projects in practice and evaluation of the earlier PSS courses a new setup was proposed. The main starting point for restructuring the course was the conclusion that co-operation and mutual understanding between “creative” designers and “commercial” entrepreneurs are important conditions for success of a new PSS. The course setup is based upon a structured step-by-step approach (www.d4s-sbs.org) in combination with an interactive character by which the students have frequent meetings with the company representatives who gave the assignments as well as with the involved PhD-candidates of the current research projects within the faculty. It was concluded that interaction of students with real life actors increases the feasibility of developed projects (benefit for the companies) and the engagement of students with a real life context (benefit for the students). In addition this new teaching approach delivered valuable research materials (benefit for the PhD-candidates).Industrial Design Engineerin