In the project seminar “Developing Smart Product-Service Systems with Design Sprints,” students between 2024 and 2026 shifted their perspective: The starting point was not the technical solution, but the users’ problem. In collaboration with a company, interdisciplinary teams systematically developed smart product-service systems focused on coffee preparation and smart home technology.

The human-centered Design Sprint methodology was used, guided by subject matter experts. It allows teams to move from an idea to a testable prototype within a few days and forces them to make early decisions under conditions of uncertainty. That was precisely where the learning took place: ideas were not discussed at length, but rather quickly built, tested, and, if necessary, discarded.

The teams went through all the relevant phases of the development process: from analyzing the target audience to describing use cases and defining the problem, all the way to developing the concept, prototyping, and evaluating potential solutions. Both digital and physical prototypes were created in the department’s project lab. In addition, the groups developed viable business models that make innovative product-service combinations economically feasible and assess their market relevance.

The process was supported by keynote presentations on the fundamentals of product-service system development, workshops on problem framing, and milestone reviews.

A unique feature of the module was the buddy program. Participants passed on their research to students in Project I, for example through training sessions and by mentoring individual teams. This brought the series full circle: Those who had started in the first module were able to take on a mentoring role themselves in the third. Having to explain what they had just learned proved to be a learning experience in itself.

By the end of the course, participants were able to identify key elements of smart product-service systems and apply and reflect on the Design Sprint methodology within an interdisciplinary team. Beyond their own application of the methodology, they were able to guide other students through the development and evaluation process.