Towards Design Principles to Design Convivial Product Service Systems: Participating in the UvA Bike Kitchen

Dirk Ploos van Amstel, Michael Tahmoressi, Lenneke Kuijer, Remko van der Lugt, Berry Eggen

This article examines the University of Amsterdam’s Bike Kitchen (UvA-BK) as a case study for convivial product service systems (CPSS), revealing PSS design alternatives that prioritize user empowerment over convenience-driven rebounds like deskilling. Bike Kitchens promote sustainability through collaborative repair, building skills, participation, and community building. The central question in this study was how everyday repair and maintenance practices at the UvA-BK can inform the design of CPSS as alternatives to convenience-based PSS. A practices-oriented qualitative case study integrated practice theory, design ethnography, and thematic analysis. The authors participated as hosts at the UvA-BK for a year, observing ~200 interactions, gaining in-depth knowledge and experience. As a key contribution, three practice-based design principles emerged from participation levels (reproduction, adaptation, creation): Autonomous (Re)Skilling, Participatory Creation, and Reciprocity through Community. These offer designers’ actionable frames for convivial PSS: scaffolded autonomy, emergent co-creation, and relational reciprocity, countering deskilling dependencies. Further research validates transferability to other contexts.