Fostering service design education. A model for enhancing student engagement in a team-based studio

Corporate strategies are shifting from traditional manufacturing to Product-Service Systems (PSS), moving beyond tangible, product-centric views to a holistic, system-oriented perspective. This transformation requires designers to adopt integrated approaches that transcend conventional product-focused methods. Driven by societal and economic changes, this shift has paved the way for the Service Economy and the evolution of design practice towards Service Design. As systemic thinking becomes central to addressing global challenges, Service Design has gained relevance across sectors, but the lack of a universally accepted definition of Service Design is mirrored in education, where effective pedagogical approaches remain scarce. This article examines a studio-based educational intervention aimed at enhancing graduate students' understanding of Service Design. The study focuses on two objectives: (1) assessing new learners’ perception of Service Design and (2) fostering engagement and confidence through analytical tools. To support Service Design Education, this intervention seeks to develop pedagogical methods that introduce students to systemic design thinking. Following the "learning by doing" methodology and findings on ice-breaking activities' impact on learning, three ice-breaking tools presented in order of increasing complexity were incorporated into a one-day workshop with international students to facilitate peer interaction and discussion. Survey results indicated that students often equated the concept of Service(s) with digital platforms. The findings suggest that structured interactions enhanced students’ reflection on both material and immaterial aspects of Service Design and that the tools improved their understanding of the subject.