Keywords

1 Introduction

Different types of environments have their core functional services. When designing architecture or space, designers usually take account of functions of the environment while not apply systematic design and construction to the service itself [1]. If it were possible for designers to design the functional services offered by specific environment from the perspective of service system, such as regarding hospital as a system for medical and doctoring services, we would establish an overall and optimized service system for different stakeholders involved [2]. To get systematic environment-specific service design approaches and mindset, in this paper we mainly put forward the concept of ESSD (Environment Service System Design) that is designing systematically and comprehensively for certain functional services in a specific space, holding the essential mindset of Service System Design, the process of ESSD. We also discuss about the differences between ESSD and PSSD (Product Service System Design), unique characteristics of ESSD, features of SESSD (Smart Service System Design) and their construction thinking which is capable of rationalizing relationships among services in a specific environment.

2 Working Principles of ESSD

ESSD is highly capable of helping effectively organize and coherently sort out related services of a specific environment. Usually a certain space is designed to arm with some conditions so that to create functional services for meeting our needs; ESSD could help us arrange all service components from fragments into a comprehensive entity in the mindset of service design, and further establish a rational environment-specific service system.

From the perspective of service design, ESSD takes overall account of each component in it: Firstly, ESSD makes several outlook visions for final service with some tools (e.g. mood board, positioning map, personas, etc.); then it settles down explicit service scenarios, puts forward offerings as many as possible and as detailed as possible, marks out relevant stakeholders and touch points for corresponding offerings. All offerings could be arranged into different sub-systems. The division could be according to management department, service type, property affiliation or other aspects. In each sub-system map, stakeholders could be connected with main touch points by offerings in form of various flow (information flow, material flow, financial flow, staff flow, etc.), which makes relationship more understandable. Finally, a comprehensive system map elaborates the overall structure, as well as user journey map developed by timeline could clearly illustrates continuous service procedure and involved touch points [3]. Additionally, the functional services in specific environment are supposed to link pre-service, in-service with post-service into a closed loop.

As shown in Fig. 1, some design tools and methodologies for ESSD are referenced from PSSD (Product Service System Design). PSSD develops a certain project by focusing on “Service” and then extending relevant network step by step, the same dose ESSD. Thus some tools for PSSD could be instructive to ESSD; while some of methodologies based on PSSD vary for ESSD.

Fig. 1.
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Main procedure and design methodologies of ESSD

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3 Characteristics of ESSD

As stated above, PSSD has provided much reference values for ESSD, while the latter also has its own unique features comparing with PSSD.

(1) The Social Tie Among Stakeholders in ESSD Gets Easier to be Strengthened.

Since environment has bigger capacity both physically and virtually compared with products, more kinds of relationship could be created among different stakeholders in ESSD. Environment supplies people in it with diverse means to create diverse social relationship, like collaboration, temporary teambuilding, random competition, or one by one PK. The larger capacity of the environment also brings about more possibilities for design. In an environment, it is possible for numbers of people to simultaneously interact then connect with one specific space or an object in it. The mutual contagiousness between people and physical location gets to be stronger, a specific physical environment is capable of producing more implications for people’s behaviors meanwhile people possess more reforming force to it.

As the above service system design for Imperial Street in Hangzhou in Figs. 2 and 3 developed by CDI (Center for Digital Innovation, Tongji University), the whole journey was connected with interlocking games or activities: for fulfilling game mission, a visitor has to collaborate with others to Cos-play; to get a coupon, visitors need to take active part in store games with retailers. Various kinds of positive interaction are helpful for strengthening social ties among stakeholders.

Fig. 2.
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Various types of social tie created by games of imperial street

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Fig. 3.
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Various forms of games designed in imperial street

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(2) ESSD Holds Larger Base for Variation in the Environment.

A specific environment could both enhance major functions and satisfy minor needs. It could hold a variety of touch points to give people more activity choices and more support to individual differences.

As illustrated in Fig. 4, Smart Lanxi designed by CDI offered citizens multiple activities in one environment at the same time: interactive screen tower made people enjoy visual amazement brought by new technology; LBS-social game helped youngsters make acquaintance with new friends efficiently; media theater provided the old with metrical local folk; stores organized various activities and customized information push to involve citizens on site. Many needs of citizens could be satisfied in one place.

Fig. 4.
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Multiple activities offered in one place simultaneously in smart Lanxi

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(3) Long-Term Relationship with Users Gets Harder to Maintain.

Due to high portability of product, once the relationship between users with products is established, this long-lasting and stable relationship begun to form, and even gradually has strengthened. While confined to space limitation, the relationship between users with a certain space weakens or even disappears with their leave, which requires ESSD to resort to various measures to build up and maintain long term relationship with users, such as member system, or community. In ESSD for Imperial Street, membership system is helpful for retailers and operators to keep in close touch with customers. The shipping service, sales deputy, merchandise info push and game community all help to increase user agglutinant exceedingly.

(4) Effectiveness of Self-explanatory for Environment Need to be Enhanced.

Unlike products which usually containing clear implications for their functions, services and values, environment is much insufficient in self-expressiveness. Therefore, ESSD has more needs for touch points to help people make the most of the space for their intentional services. In smart service system design for Shanghai No.10 People’s Hospital by CDI, an AR digital way-finding system with HIS information integrated helps to provide doctoring service procedure, paths and destination info conveniently.

4 SESSD

With the radical breakthrough brought by new technologies, the role of digital technologies in ESSD has become more and more significant, and ESSD has gradually updated into SESSD (Smart Environment Service System Design). This requires us to pay attention to various context ingredients while treating and utilizing “Smart”. The “Smart” in SESSD mainly refers to breakthrough advance created by new digital technologies, such as mobile Internet, IOT (Internet of Things), big data and so on. Additionally, “Smart” for SESSD in not only an enhancement but also a new dimension of design. SESSD has the following three “Connection”s as its characteristics that are also the entry points for design.

(1) Connecting Different Stakeholders Through Smart Touch Points.

Touch points in ESSD refer to the points of certain service system users could contact, as well as key components providing the core services to users and making the whole system function. Mobile Internet, sensors, digital interactive installation or other smart touch points in SESSD act a vital role in communication between systems with their users. With its capability in information processing, the smart touch points could serve as linkage points in the formation of a rich network among various stakeholders. Users could keep in touch with others anywhere in anytime; operators could supply users more customized info push or services; collaborators could manage the system and communicate with each other more conveniently. Intercommunication network among different stakeholders keeps open, and this interconnection expands in more and more directions with the advancement of touch points.

In the SESSD case for an exhibition hall designed by CDI, as Fig. 5 below illustrates, as an important smart touch point, the smart phone App could effectively help visitors check event info, book tickets, submit feedback, communicate with exhibitors or 3rd party partner, and share visiting experience with other visitors. Other stakeholders (e.g. The management with exhibitors, or collaborators) could also build up direct communication more conveniently with the App.

Fig. 5.
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Easier to connects different stakeholders about the hall by smart phone app

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(2) Connecting the Physical with the Virtual through IOT.

As important transfer flow, material flow and information flow individually stream as service carrier in ESSD. IOT (Internet of Things) could innovate in the form of flows—connect material flow with information flow, making every physical entity in SESSD be traceable and get informed of its own “story” in this digital information era.

Vegetables from smart farms [4] with IOT technology makes it possible for customers to be informed of their “personal ID”, such as their hometown, age, “parents” (farmers) or health condition. Plantation and production procedure of the vegetables becomes transparent, accurate and evident. The connection of the physical and the virtual helps to form flows with dual properties and enhance the quality of the service in SESSD.

(3) Connecting the System with the Outside Information and Service Through Big Data.

In ESSD, information flow is helpful to connect the internal system, linking various stakeholders, offerings, and sub-systems with each other. With the support of big data platform, information in ESSD could be further connected with the information and services out of the system, and enhance the quality of the services both in depth and in diversities.

CDI Soul, an office management and control system designed by CDI, makes the most of big data to provide users with quantities of “considerable and understanding” services. Once the platform got one user’s data, this would not only open up his/her personal information channel, but also connect with more info resource from big data platform to optimize the service, e.g. when a VIP user getting close to the office building, the system would control the window, door, light, and air conditioner system to supply the user with the most decent indoor condition, according to the information combining personal preferences, schedules, health data, and external environment conditions from big data platform.

In a smart shopping service system designed by CDI, big data platform helps to get customers’ daily online and offline shopping behaviors and push customized merchandise information to them. The system could also provide prices of the same product in other malls and provide related services for product maintenance and repairing.

New digital technology as a “Smart” impetus enhances the quality and diversity of services in SESSD, also opens up new directions for SESSD in the future; it is far beyond an intelligent tool, but is already an inevitable context for designers in different fields. The above three aspects not only illustrate the main characteristics of SESSD, but also points out directions to follow while constructing a smart service system: constructing a rich network among stakeholders through smart touch points; increasing quality of the offerings by connecting the information flow with the material flow; expanding the depth and scope of the services by connecting with the outside information and services.

5 Summary

This paper explored the definition, features, designing tools of ESSD (Environment Service System Design) and characteristics of SESSD (Smart Environment Service System Design) through four coherent steps. One of the goals of this research is how to show the importance of converting from design for a specific environment in material logic to design for a specific functional service in behavior logic for ESSD. We also aim at exploring the ways to apply potentials of new technologies on SESSD to enhance the overall quality of the services in design of the digital era. We hope our findings and design approaches could inspire more new forms of innovation in service system design.