Understanding Service Design in the Context of Servitization

In recent years, the manufacturing industry has sought to adapt its strategy by including services in its offerings, known as servitization. In this context, service design can be seen as a competitive advantage in the market, as it is considered an agent of transformation and innovation whose objective is to create efficient and effective experiences that meet the needs of users and organizations. However, the intangible nature of services can be a limitation when it comes to visualizing how design, which normally works with tangible aspects, can help in the development of services. Therefore, this article proposes to advance the understanding of service design and its pillars to show and discuss how this topic is currently treated in the servitization literature. Our findings point to a misalignment in service design, identifying a paradoxical understanding of its pillars, which limits its growth in the servitization literature. Finally, we propose questions that could guide future research to deepen the study of service design.