Fostering human-centred products and services in design (OUTPACE)

Abstract

The product as a technical system remains the core of engineering design. Due to the increasing demands by end users, products are becoming smarter, thereby creating opportunities for innovation, yet sometimes there are challenges and barriers in their use especially by certain strata of the society. Furthermore, the development of smarter products has to be taken into the context of the shift towards product-service business models intended to enable collaborative consumption of both products and services, thereby shifting the cost of ownership and to positively impact the carbon footprint of products. Central to the shift towards product-service business models is the consideration of social, economic, environmental and experiential challenges that influence society. Designers are therefore entrusted to solve these impactful multifaceted challenges by developing products and services. This entails all of the human stakeholders (e.g. policymakers, factory operators, end-users) who interact with the product or service during some part of its existence. Within this context, engineering and design education needs to keep pace with the development of product-service systems (PSS), to ensure that prospective engineers are equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills. Within this context, the theme of E&PDE 2025 conference focuses on topics which collectively aim at preparing engineering students to meet the demands of PSS in a continuously evolving globalised economy.