TOOLKIT THAT SUPPORTS THE DEVELOPMENT OF A SUSTAINABLE PRODUCT-SERVICE SYSTEM

Abstract

This study results from a master thesis for the Department of Product Development of The University of Antwerp. The thesis focuses on a toolkit that provides support in the design process of a PSS, namely the product-service system design toolkit  1  . In this toolkit, there is hardly any focus on sustainability, but rather on the interaction with the end-user. To integrate this sustainability aspect - considering people, planet and profit - the Sustainable Innovation System (SIS) toolkit of OVAM  2  is used as input. The opportunity of this master thesis is to work out a possible synergy of both toolkits. This type of toolkit is hardly explored in the current market. This paper will first find out how both toolkits are used and what pitfalls there are. Various research methods have been used to map out the findings: a literature exploration, analysis of existing evaluations, in-depth interviews, a focus group, online questionnaires, a workshop, and project guidance. The triangulation ensures that the results are as close to reality as possible. This information is summarized and translated into drivers for the solution to be designed. After this, a proposal for the solution is being presented, which is a digital library of design tools. This study thus contributes to a concise human and economic analysis of design tools in general, and a proposal – specifically for the PSS design toolkit and the SIS toolkit – of automated project guidance for design students and practitioners. The online tool platform emerges as the best solution for the abovementioned problems and considers five design drivers that guide the design process, namely: design track support, autonomous use, reduced complexity, universal use, and easy integration.