Designing Services.
Designing the Future.
A five‑day Blended Intensive Program where international student teams prototype real solutions for real partners — in the heart of Poznań.
About the Project
What is Service Design?
Service design helps create and improve services that solve real problems and deliver value people will actually use. From public services in the UK to hospitals in Norway, leading organisations prototype and test before rolling out change. The same mindset powers customer support systems (McDonald's, Apple), operations at scale (Xerox, IBM), and new service ventures (Uber, Booking.com, Lime). In Poland, the method is increasingly applied to both e‑services and traditional, offline services — unlocking innovation, efficiency, and sustainability.
About SDWS
The Service Design Winter School is an annual, week‑long design sprint hosted each year in a different European city (Antwerp 2016, Ljubljana 2017, Kaunas 2018, Lier 2019, Poznań 2021, Lier/Geel 2022, Kosovo 2023, Malta 2024). International student teams work with expert coaches and a partner organisation on a concrete challenge — from discovery to tested prototype in five days.
Poznań 2025 – BIP Edition
- When: 17–21 Nov 2025 (with pre‑ and post‑online sessions)
- Where: Collegium Da Vinci (CDV) — a 13‑minute walk from the Old Market Square
- Costs: No participation fee (BIP). Lunches provided. Travel & accommodation self‑funded.
- Format: Crash courses, hands‑on exercises, cross‑cultural teamwork, rapid prototyping, and final pitches.
Service Design Winter School — in nutshell
SDWS Podcast
Design Challenge
Real partner. Real users. Real impact.
On Monday morning, the partner organisation briefs all teams on the challenge context, constraints, and success criteria. Teams then progress through:
Empathise
user research, stakeholder mapping, service safaris
Define
insights, jobs‑to‑be‑done, problem framing
Ideate
divergent concepts, service blueprints, priority scoring
Prototype
low‑ to mid‑fidelity service touchpoints; concierge/role‑play tests
Validate
user walkthroughs, evidence capture, iteration
Deliver
demo + prototype showcase & next‑steps with the partner
Outcomes
- Tested prototype(s)
- Evidence pack (insights, blueprint, feasibility/viability notes)
- Team presentation and handover materials
Schedule
Provisional Schedule
Subject to refinement with partners and venues. All times local (CET).
Unless noted otherwise, days end with an informal evening meetup at a pub (Mon–Wed).
Sunday
16.11
Welcome Evening at Grota Gaming Pub
Monday
17.11
Registration & Welcome Desk
Lecture: Field Research
Lunch
Poznań City Tour
Pub Integration (Evening Social)(Optional)
Tuesday
18.11
Workshop: Immersion & Research
Lunch Break
Workshop: Immersion & Research (continued)
City Game
Wednesday
19.11
Workshop: Ideation & Concept Development
Lunch Break
Workshop: Ideation & Concept Development (continued)
Cuba Libre Club Night (Optional)
Thursday
20.11
Workshop: Prototyping & Testing (Part 1)
Lunch Break
Workshop: Prototyping & Testing (Part 2)
Relax & Networking Evening (Optional)
Jam Session at 'W Sercu' (Optional)
Friday
21.11
Final Project Presentations
Distribution of Lunch Packages
Closing Ceremony
Certificates & Documents
Farewell & Departure from Campus
A detailed hour‑by‑hour workshop timetable (Mon–Fri) will be published after the challenge briefing is confirmed.
General Information
Everything You Need to Know
What You Need to Know
Credits & Certificate
Certificate of attendance & 3 ECTS (with active participation in online intro & wrap‑up sessions)
Team Composition
International, multi‑disciplinary teams
Location
Collegium Da Vinci — Kutrzeby 10, Poznań
Dress Code
Comfortable / workshop‑ready
What to Bring
Laptop
For research, design work, and presentations
Headphones
For focused work and virtual sessions
Adapters (Type E)
Poland uses Type E plugs, 230V/50Hz
Reusable Bottle
There are drinking water dispensers at the university.
Ready to Design the Future?
Join us in Poznań for an unforgettable week of design, collaboration, and innovation.