Abstract:

This article reports on an empirical case in which service design approach is utilized for combining pragmatic working life innovation project in higher education and academic research. It is based on a case study in which a new pricing model was developed for the needs of mobile game industry, and at the same time contribution was made to the academic literature. The main results of this article include description of student perceptions of using service design approach in applied research in higher education, as well as the process of using service design. It shows how the application of different service design tools was perceived by a student in this process. The learnings of this article suggest that service design approach was perceived usable and helpful for research resulting in practical solutions and academic knowledge. The structure of this paper is as follows. First, it reviews the literature of service design characteristics. Then, is discusses the literature of a service design process. Next, makes the case description by explaining how service design approach was applied in the student’s research and development process. After that, the paper explains student perceptions and learnings from using service design in the research and development. The learnings relate to achieving the initial insight to the focus of research and development, planning the solution, and iterating the process. Finally, the paper draws the conclusions.

Keywords:

Combining Industry Development and Research in Higher Education, A Case Study.