Today, 12 June 2020, an external European Student Service Design Challenge comes to an end with the announcement of the best service solution for a healthy heart. Over 35 student design teams from recognised European design academies and universities have invested five months in design research, ideation and development. The Jury unanimously selected the service concept from a multicultural master students' team from University of the Arts London, as the winner of this year's Challenge Edition. Their WomenToHeart service helps women to identify and communicate heart symptoms via metaphors.

The Student Service Design Challenge celebrates, encourages and inspires the next generation of designers. This year, over 35 student teams from over 15 European design academies and universities entered the competition. They were challenged with "How can we improve the heart health of people in Europe that are 'invisible', neglected, underserved, forgotten or overlooked?"

With service solutions focusing on a variety of users such as overweight children, Turkish migrants, isolated older people, stroke victims, night shift workers and flight attendants, it was a challenge for the Jury to find the winning concept based on five criteria: people-centric, society oriented, circular & sustainable, technology-enabled, and business viable.

"I can confidently say that the young designers we have met through this brilliant competition have all the tools, the skills, the ethical values, and the determination needed to create value-adding services for individuals and society at large," said Simona Maschi, Jury Chair and co-founder and director of the Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design.

The winning service solution: WomenToHeart - a service helping women to identify and communicate via metaphors

Team I <3 Women is an international student design team of five aspiring service designers hailing from different industry backgrounds and countries. They are all enrolled in the MA in Service Design at University of the Arts London.

"Heart disease is the #1 killer of women worldwide. But women are unaware that they can be at risk of a heart attack and what the symptoms could appear to be. When looking for help, women face an additional challenge: in our research, we discovered that they struggle to communicate their symptoms effectively. In the meantime, healthcare professionals have trouble recognising symptoms because women can experience non-chest related symptoms which are harder to diagnose and to communicate. It was clear that we needed to close this gap. WomenToHeart is an online service to help women identify and communicate their symptoms via metaphors rather than using the traditional pain scale. Our empowering approach helps women to understand their early warning signs and slow on-set symptoms to seek help sooner."

The Jury awarded the Silver prize to: RO+ - a service to ease Roma people's sickness journey

Team No Pressure is made up of five design students from Aalto University in Espoo, Finland, with different backgrounds: humanitarian design activism, systemic thinking, empathic design, among others.

"We explored the healthcare experience of Roma in Finland. Roma people who lack proper education and have a low level of literacy, basic digital literacy and with or without a temporary ID, have a hard time getting adequate access to healthcare. We searched for a solution to help the Roma community receive better access to healthcare while generating trust in the system and leading healthier lifestyles. Our concept creates a hassle-free journey for Roma people. On the platform Roma, healthcare providers and social service workers can access information in one place and coordinate with each other on referrals, appointments and the status of temporary ID. The service can solve Roma's problems, including language barriers, by simplifying the processes."

Bronze was awarded to: Heartsease - a service that improves the communication between elderly patients and medical staff

The members of student design team London Arts 1 are enrolled in the MA in Service Design at University of the Arts London. They are passionate about applying service design methods to tackle problems and support people.

"Elderly cardiac patients living alone need ways to be better informed. So we want to improve the medical experience of those patients, empower them to better communicate with medical experts and support them to live a positive life. The service improves the communication between elderly patients and medical staff through informing patients about the medical process and providing a personalised plan-making experience. A cardiac passport and related stickers on examinations and treatments are part of the service concept."

Prizes and recognition
The five students of the winning team earn a 10-week design-in-residence position at Philips Experience Design, where they will be able to further prototype and optimise their concept. During those weeks they will be mentored and supported by a Philips expert team. They will also receive additional training by the Dutch IBM design team and participation in a summer workshop at CIID.

The silver and bronze winners receive a monetary prize of EUR 2,500 (+ EUR 2,000 for the University) respectively and of EUR 1,500 (+ EUR 1,000 for the University).

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation will also like to reward the projects that embed circular and sustainable principles in their solutions. These teams will receive an individual consultation/feedback session with the organisation and the opportunity to participate in upcoming EMF events.

And even more significant, this Challenge ends with a unique virtual exhibition during the Dutch Design Week 2020: an insightful showcase of a selection of service design solutions from the Top 20 submissions.

The Student Service Design Challenge is organised by Philips, together with Service Design Days, and in partnership with IBM and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. More information can be found on the SSDC website.