Global Service Design Workshop at Seoul
Alison Prendiville and Cordula Friedlander ran the 9th Global Service Design Workshop at Samsung Art and Design Institute in Seoul (SADI), South Korea. Eight students from the London College of Communication (LCC – UAL) MA Service Experience Design and Innovation course traveled to Seoul to join the workshop, teaming up with their colleagues from the SADI Communication Design department.
This year’s workshop brief, sponsored by Seoul Design Foundation, was to create new service opportunities for the Seoul Up-cycling Plaza. Students were to explore, through Service Design methods and tools, service opportunities for the new, not yet opened, Up-Cycling Plaza with the aim to connect different communities and individuals from across Seoul to engage in understanding waste as a resource; with the purpose that this would lead to more sustainable ways of living and contribute to Seoul City’s 2030 zero waste goal.
As part of the discovery phase LCC students had the opportunity to visit the new upcycling facilities, a re-use and re-cycling centre, up-cycling shops and a dis-assembly plant. The student teams conducted interviews with potential stakeholders, designers and makers, manufacturers, students and design educators, hotel and restaurant industries, shop managers, recycling facilities, general waste and re-cycling collectors and members of the public.
Each of the 5 teams concluded their research with the creation of personas and a research question. The teams continued to develop service concepts and the workshop concluded with a well-received presentation to the clients. The teams delivered innovative and feasible service proposals for the future vision of Seoul Upcycling Plaza and the opportunities for their strategic engagement with design education and manufacturing, material sciences and the design profession, the tourism and hotel industries, local community and local shops and coffee shops across Seoul.