For the 5th anniversary edition of the Challenge, student teams from recognised design academies and universities from around the globe invested 5 months in the design research, ideation and development of their service concepts aiming to turn the tide for good. The Jury selected 'Innove', a team of four Master’s in Product-Service System Design students from Politecnico di Milano, as the Gold winner. Their ‘Refilme’ service comprehensively reimagines skincare and sustainability.
Unlike previous years, the 2024 Student Service Design Challenge has encompassed four unique challenges. On top of winning the overall 2024 competition, students could win an 8-week design incubation program for one of these four challenges. Student teams were invited to design a service concept to:
In this 5th edition, the Challenge gathered students from all over the world: from India, Hong Kong and Australia to Mexico, Canada and the USA, as well as numerous European countries. More than 150 student teams -almost 800 students- representing over 100 schools and universities answered the call to design sustainable service solutions that can turn the tide for good.
With solutions focusing on a variety of issues, ranging from gynaecological violence to chronic disease treatment, and from thermal comfort to vampire power consumption, it was difficult for the Jury to select the winning concept based on how well the solutions met the challenge's comprehensive criteria: people centric, society oriented, circular & sustainable, technology enabled, and business viable and experience based.
After assessing all final submissions, the jury awarded team Innove from Politecnico di Milano the GOLD prize. The jury also awarded four honourable mentions to teams whose service concepts scored highly in a particular criterion.
The Jury: "First and foremost, we want to recognise and congratulate the tremendous effort, creativity, and dedication shown by all teams. Life is a sequence of challenges—personal, professional, and collective. These challenges are the spice of life; they make our lives meaningful. They can be exciting, tiring, and sometimes even scary. You all accepted this challenge not just to win a contest but to embark on a meaningful journey. Congratulations on making this decision, as it makes you all winners. You win when you undertake something and face it head-on without fear of losing. You win when you recognise that the journey itself is the goal and persevere through it. You win when you understand that we always learn more from our failures than from our successes.
You have proven yourselves to be determined, curious, and unafraid to embark on new adventures. You have worked hard and shown a willingness to see things through. We commend your dedication and effort in this challenge. Keep pushing forward and embracing new challenges."
Winner SSDC2024 (overall)
1
GOLD winner
Refilme - Fill more. Film more. Feel more
The SSDC 2024 jury unanimously awarded the GOLD prize of the overall competition to 'Refilme' from team Innove (Politecnico di Milano). Refilme is an innovative service based on a closing-the-loop ecosystem approach that not only aims to transform the cosmetic packaging industry but also people’s individual skincare routine into an eco-friendly and engaging experience.
Team Innove: "One major insight we discovered was that while skincare users are willing to participate in sustainable actions, they often feel discouraged due to a lack of transparency and control in the system. Users desire a skincare routine that makes them feel good personally but often do not see the immediate impact of their sustainable actions, leading to a sense of futility."
Winners Philips Challenge
1
First place
(8-week design incubation program)
2
SILVER winner:
monetary prize of EUR 2,500
+ EUR 2,000 for the University
ChorniCare - a medical service for Chinese elderly with chronic diseases
Philips’ jury selected ‘ChorniCare’ from team Penicillin (Tongji University) as the 1st place winning service. ChorniCare is a medical service for Chinese elderly with chronic diseases that bridges the support gap between home monitoring and hospital follow-ups, promoting efficient communication, and enhancing connections among patients, families, hospitals, and fellow patients. The team was also recognised with an Honourable Mention in the overall competition.
Team Penicillin: "Initially, we addressed 3 gaps simultaneously: information, emotion and system. However, we realised these gaps have a sequential order. By first bridging the information gap, we can subsequently address the emotion and system gaps, enhancing overall patient care and emotional connection."
2
Second place
2
SILVER winner:
monetary prize of EUR 2,500
+ EUR 2,000 for the University
Equita - preventing gynaecological violence
Second place was awarded by Philips to service 'Equita' from team Equita (Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile), a service designed to reduce gyneco-obstetric violence and improve reproductive and gynaecological health in Chile. Also in the overall competition, team Equita received an Honourable Mention.
Team Equita: "Through our research, we identified significant challenges in the Chilean healthcare system, particularly related to gynaecological violence. This systemic problem, exacerbated by a fragmented medical system and shortages of healthcare personnel, results in negative patient experiences and avoidance of necessary care."
3
Third place
Co-Doc - transforming sickcare to healthcare
3rd place in the Philips challenge was awarded to team WINsight (SDSI Erasmus Mundus Joint Master) for their service concept 'Co-Doc', an AI patient management system designed to support family doctors by reducing their administrative burden, allowing them to spend more time with patients.
Team WINsight: "In the last round, we revisited our problem statement to ensure we were addressing the correct issue. This deeper investigation into the root causes of our stakeholders' insights led us to design a service that supports family doctors with efficient screening practices while reducing their administrative burden."
Winners IKEA Challenge
1
First place
(8-week design incubation program)
2
SILVER winner:
monetary prize of EUR 2,500
+ EUR 2,000 for the University
Plugg-Out - managing vampire power consumption at home
The jury awarded team Tejas (Delhi Technological University) the 1st place in the IKEA challenge for their service, 'Plugg-Out', which offers an easy, cost-effective, and convenient system for individuals to manage vampire power consumption. Team Tejas was also recognised with an Honourable Mention in the overall competition.
Team Tejas: "Our focus was identifying the various factors responsible for vampire wastage and providing a solution in alignment with the needs of users. We consulted industry experts, developed various concepts, and conducted surveys which allowed us to understand user preferences and come up with a unique service for urban households in Delhi."
2
Second place
2
SILVER winner:
monetary prize of EUR 2,500
+ EUR 2,000 for the University
Hexaterm - a modular system to improve thermal comfort at home
Second place was awarded to team Ecohab (Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile) for their service 'Hexaterm', which builds community engagement and sustainability through a modular, community-centric system.
Team Ecohab: "Our team identified the challenge of optimising thermal conditions in workspaces to enhance productivity and comfort. Considering environmental and social impacts, we focused on solutions that enhance comfort without sacrificing energy efficiency or disrupting daily routines."
3
Third place
Boxerang - reducing waste through reuse and repurposing
3rd place in the IKEA challenge was awarded to team Loopwholes (London College of Communication, University of the Arts London) and their service concept 'Boxerang', a platform that repurposes and reuses existing assets to reduce waste.
Team Loopwholes: "Boxerang stemmed from the needs of our local London context. Our research revealed a larger issue: a broken recycling system, sorting behaviour, and accessibility to circularity. Thus, we designed a service embedded within IKEA to leverage its partnerships and consumer base. Our goal was to avoid creating more consumerism and focus on realistic circularity."
Winners Laerdal Challenge
1
First place
(8-week design incubation program)
2
SILVER winner:
monetary prize of EUR 2,500
+ EUR 2,000 for the University
Laerdal Connected Community - building collaborative cultures for cardiac arrest emergencies
The Leardal jury awarded 1st place to team Infinity and Beyond (London College of Communication) for their service concept 'Laerdal Connected Communities' (LCC). The service enhances an online first-aid training platform by integrating local community interventions, empowering grassroots action groups to build and sustain collaborative cultures.
Team Infinity & Beyond: "Given the siloed knowledge of the defibrillator network and the disparity of access to defibrillators, our team realised the need to foster a collaborative culture within the community. This would recognise the needs and potential contributions of various actors during time-critical cardiac arrest emergencies, ensuring a more efficient and effective response."
2
Second place
2
SILVER winner:
monetary prize of EUR 2,500
+ EUR 2,000 for the University
Didi Hero - delivering emergency assistance through ride-hailing services
Second place was awarded by Laerdal to team Shero (Tongji University) for their service, 'Didi Hero', which leverages existing ride-sharing networks to provide timely medical assistance in urban settings. Team Shero also received an Honourable Mention in the overall competition.
Team Shero: "In Shanghai, ambulance round-trip times increase dramatically during road congestion. Given that the scheduling system for internet rides is highly developed and operates 24/7, we identified an opportunity to integrate ridesharing systems with the EMS system that could enable faster access to care for patients and reduce the strain on the EMS system."
3
Third place
LifeSaver - enhancing people’s first aid knowledge
In third place, the Laerdal jury awarded team Muni (Masaryk University) for their service 'LifeSaver', a comprehensive support system providing microlearning and short practical training to improve people's first aid knowledge.
Team Muni: "Many people over 50 in the Czech Republic want to provide first aid but fear causing harm due to outdated knowledge. Despite being active, they face ageism and health risks, leading to low self-confidence. Our goal was to empower them with up-to-date first-aid skills, transforming them into empathetic responders who can help others and themselves through continuous education."
Winners ISDIN Challenge
1
First place
(8-week design incubation program)
2
SILVER winner:
monetary prize of EUR 2,500
+ EUR 2,000 for the University
Refilme - turning skincare into a sustainable experience
The ISDIN jury selected 'Refilme' from team Innove (Politecnico di Milano) as the 1st place winning service. Team Innove also won the GOLD prize in the overall competition. Refilme is an innovative service based on a closing-the-loop ecosystem approach that not only aims to transform the cosmetic packaging industry but also people’s individual skincare routine into an eco-friendly and engaging experience.
Team Innove: "Our research revealed that users often feel a lack of control and transparency in the current recycling system, discouraging their participation in sustainable actions despite their willingness. They desire a genuine and grounded system that avoids empty claims, reconnects them with local communities, and fosters pride in community-led solutions. This highlights the need for a visible, feedback-driven approach that builds trust and encourages habitual sustainable behaviour."
2
Second place
2
SILVER winner:
monetary prize of EUR 2,500
+ EUR 2,000 for the University
YourServe - promoting health and sustainability in sports
Second place was awarded by ISDIN to team Hurry Podders (Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London) for their service 'YourServe'. Through a circular service ecosystem, composed of pumps, refill stations and events, it promotes the use of sunscreen while reducing waste in tennis settings.
Team Hurry Podders: "Our primary and secondary research pushed us to gain a better understanding of our local context, consumers’ needs, and the ecosystem of the skincare industry. Entering the converging phase was challenging due to the multitude of insights gathered. We focused on consumption and disposal processes and added external influences such as London culture and leisure."
3
Third place
Harmony - transforming sickcare to healthcare
3rd place in the ISDIN challenge was awarded to team InsideOut (Carnegie Mellon University) for 'Harmony', a service that promotes circularity in beauty products by combining refilling and recycling using AI for personalisation.
Team InsideOut: "From our research and stakeholder interviews, our team identified the need for beauty and wellness brands to adopt a mixed model of refillable and recyclable packaging. By doing so, brands can share ownership with users and effectively close the loop by extending the life of beauty packaging and reintegrating it into the production cycle."
Prizes and recognition
All 1st place winning teams earn an 8-week design incubation program under the wing of their respective organisation to further prototype and optimise their concept. During those weeks they will receive guidance from experts in areas such as prototyping, sustainability, technology, and design.
Most notably, all winning teams and their service design solutions will be highlighted and showcased online. This Challenge ends with an exhibition during the Dutch Design Week 2024 (DDW24).
Proprietary rights - The Student Service Design Challenge is not liable for any copyright or trademark infringement on the part of the entrants and is not responsible for obtaining, protecting, or verifying any intellectual property rights relating to the submission material. It is the responsibility of the student design teams to use their own materials and designs, and clearly highlight references. They have been advised and required to obtain third party consents where required by law or by best ethical practices. If you discover that in the submitted materials and designs copyrighted items have been unintentionally used, we ask you to contact us by email. We will ask the concerning student team to delete those items.
Initiated and organized by SERVICE DESIGN COLLEGE.
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