Bridging academia and industry through service design: The proposal of edu.co platform

Abstract

This paper explores the application of service design methods and tools to develop edu.co, a proposed digital platform aimed at enhancing interaction and collaboration between academia and industry. Addressing the growing need for sustainable academic-industry networks, this study integrates a comprehensive literature review on recommendation systems, academic social networking, and multi-stakeholder collaboration, employing qualitative research methods. The study involved semi-structured interviews with 12 participants from arts and design fields, a co-design process with six participants, followed by thematic analysis. Findings reveal key challenges such as miscommunication, difficulties in identifying the right collaborators, and time management barriers. The co-design approach was instrumental in surfacing user needs and expectations. In light of these findings, service design tools were used to inform the process of forming the proposed platform, namely edu.co. This proposed platform integrates AI-driven and user-centered features to facilitate meaningful connections and support knowledge exchange. This study contributes to the field by providing insights into the design of digital services that foster multi-stakeholder connection making and by emphasizing the importance of user-centered and participatory approaches in academic and professional ecosystems.