Service Design for Emerging Technologies Product Development: Bridging the Interdisciplinary Knowledge Gap

The productization of emerging technologies related to the Fourth Industrial Revolution (FIR) is now getting more attention across different industries. Compared to the previous industrial transformations that the world has seen which relied on mechanical innovations, the ongoing FIR is seeing software and data-driven products as the foundation. Apart from that, topics such as circular and sustainable economy as well as climate change are also disrupting the industrial ecosystem. For a viable and successful productization of emerging technologies, collaborations between interdisciplinary stakeholders are a necessity. One of the elements that has been identified to facilitate this collaboration is service design.

This book aimed to provide comprehensive service design discussions for practitioners in different fields and sectors. The aim is to bridge the knowledge gap between experts in academia, business and product development, among many others, to provide a unified understanding of the importance of service design for the productization of emerging technologies. The book consists of an overview of emerging technologies product development and service design, as well as perspectives from different sectors of the industry. The book is expected to benefit multi-disciplinary researchers, practitioners and general audiences with interests in Service Design for Emerging Technologies.

A PhD holder, Umar Zakir Abdul Hamid has been working in the future mobility (connected and autonomous vehicle) field since 2014 with various teams in different countries and continents. Previously, he led a team of 12 engineers (of 10 different nationalities) working in the Autonomous Vehicle Software Product Development with Sensible 4, Finland. Umar is one of the recipients of the Finnish Engineering Award 2020 for his contributions to the development of all weather autonomous driving solutions with the said firm. He is currently the senior lead strategist for CEVT AB (Geely Group) in Sweden. He is also the secretary of the SAE Cooperative Driving Automation (CDA) Committee and IEEE Sweden. A lifelong learner, Umar Zakir is currently pursuing his Executive MBA at the Gothenburg School of Business, Economics and Law (University of Gothenburg), Sweden. He has authored and edited books and scientific articles on the connected and automated mobility theme, in addition to being the associate editor for the IEEE Transactions on Intelligent Transportation Systems, SAE International Journal of Connected and Automated Vehicles and SAE Technical Papers, among many others. His latest book, ’Autonomous, Connected, Electric and Shared Vehicles: Disrupting the Automotive and Mobility Sectors’, was published in October 2022 by SAE International. As an industrial practitioner, Umar Zakir believes that the productization of emerging technologies can be expedited through cross-sector collaborations.

​​Mari Suoheimo (Ph.D.) is working as an associate professor of service design at the Oslo School of Architecture and design. Her research concentrates on how to approach wicked problems in service design. Wicked problems are diverse and can range from sustainability to the use of technology. Suoheimo´s research interest is in the field of mobility and logistics, emerging technologies, public services, participatory design, design for policy, circular economy, design theories, decolonizing design and sustainability. She is a Doctor of Service Design (2020), Master (2010) and Bachelor of Industrial Design (2008) -University of Lapland; has a degree in art education (2015) - Centro Universitario Claretiano. Suoheimo has working experience in service, UX and product design, marketing and branding. She has worked as a service design researcher and project manager at the University of Lapland for both LUX research group and Co-Stars Service Design research group. Suoheimo has experience in research projects funded by EU (H2020, ESR, EAKR), Academy of Finland, Interreg Nord and Business Finland. She has publications in the following journals: the Design Journal, Processes, the International Journal of Design Management and Professional Practice, and Revista Educação Gráfica.