Head of course: Prof. Anna Meroni
The world today is going through a profound change that is also significantly modifying training processes. In particular, the increasingly urgent environmental and social demands, the ever more relentless processes of globalisation and consequently the growing competition in an ever increasing market space, the new technologies available, the emergence of new ways of living and new paradigms of consumption (to mention just a few of the phenomena) make it necessary for designers to think in new ways, to create and offer complex, well-articulated solutions.
The Master Degree program in PSSD aims to work in this direction, offering participants the possibility of developing a holistic, integrated vision to designing, through an interdisciplinary course in a multicultural context.
Objectives
A ‘product-service-system’ is a blend of products, communication strategies, services and spaces that are used in an integrated way to offer comprehensive, ethical solutions to complex demands. The center of the product-service-system is the people (users, suppliers, employees, or stakeholders in general) who interact with all these multiple design components, which are part of the system as well.
The two-year program aims to train a professional capable of: problem finding and setting; framing a project through various techniques from ethnographic research to strategic positioning; exploring design solutions and forms of innovation through creative coordination of the product-service-system; promoting leadership, self entrepreneurship and pro-activity in the society.
The program provides participants with a wide set of design tools to use when creatively exercising their skills to frame design problems, research innovative solutions, and collaborate with companies, organizations and people. Some basics in project management, logistics, supply chain management, communication and media will integrate the skills of the future professionals.
Enrolled students also have access to the selection procedure for double degree programs (in collaboration with Tongji University in Shanghai) and student exchanges (e.g. with the Parsons School of Design in New York)
Career Opportunities
A product–service-system designer combines the ability to conceive, plan or coordinate the delivery of new integrated solutions, high in sustainability and value, with that of implementing innovations and managing interactions between the various stakeholders involved.
There are career opportunities within the traditional design industry, but also within design research firms (trend institutes, research agencies, etc.), in multinational companies and consultancies, and in communication and distribution agencies.
In particular, some roles that this professional can cover, in addition to the traditional areas of the design profession, are:
- Service designer
- Retail designer
- Brand designer
- Corporate coordinator
- Art director
- Ethnographic Researcher
- Trend analyst
