Service as value co-production: reframing the service design process

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to propose a methodological approach to design product service systems based on an active participation of customers to the value production process. Furthermore, the paper aims to present methods and techniques that can be used to understand local context and highly individualized needs, and to integrate local actors, including users in the value production process. Design/methodology/approach - Methods and tools presented in this paper are structured into three main categories: analytical tools, development tools and representation techniques. Such tools will be illustrated through examples from case studies. Findings - Methods and techniques presented in this paper are borrowed from other disciplines and adapted to the task of service design. The new methods relate to a new paradigmatic framework and are not easy to compare with existing methods, they are rather complementary to existing knowledge on service design. Practical implications - The new methodological approach implies a shift in the role of industrial companies that are supposed to leave their prominent role in value creation and become facilitators of a process of value co-production. Originality/value - This paper considers a fundamental change in the role for customers and industrial companies in the value-creation process. Consequently, it presents a methodological approach to support such change.