Smart Service Design Demands in the Fourth Industrial Revolution from a Sociotechnical Perspective

Often referred to as the 4th Industrial Revolution, recent technological changes have transformed the knowledge production process, opened previously unimagined new possibilities, and developed unique value as a knowledge creator for the future. This has involved the advent of digital or smart services, which naturally leads to ‘smart service design’ in adjacent fields, especially those situated at the intersection of technology and service experiences and requires us to adapt our practice to cope with the new challenges and opportunities and deliver the services of tomorrow. There is the risk that technology could subsume service delivery to such an extent that concepts of empathy, aesthetics, and design not to mention the human touch will fall by the wayside. These challenges have raised various questions: 1) How does the ‘Service 4.0’ concept impact the responsibilities of the service designer? 2) What new skills, tools and methods should be made available when designing smart services? 3) How do current forms of service design education need to evolve to meet the demands of future society?