Research On Agricultural Information Product Service Systems Design

Service design is the activity of planning and organizing people, infrastructure, communication and material components of a service in order to improve its quality and the interaction between service provider and customers. Design practice provides a pathway towards service design as well as helps the optimization of relative process in order to enhance the efficiency.450million of people in China involved in agricultural activities, with1.49billion acres of arable, ranking the fourth worldwide. The farmland per capita, however, is about only1.5acres per person, only one-third of the world average level. Hence Chinese agricultural economy is featured by small-scale, which is quite different from that in developed region. According to statistics, education level of75%farmers in China is secondary or lower. Therefore, most of them are limited to access to agricultural information and make full use of during farming, due to the restriction of knowledge and economic capability. The guarantee of agricultural information services is beneficial to the improvement of agricultural productivity, promoting the income and life quality of people in rural areas, which will better the sustainability in China in terms of social, economic and cultural aspects. The agricultural information service systems based on status quo of Chinese agriculture and characteristic of farmers will be significant for the construction of agricultural Informatization in China.This research project relied on the program of smart product and intelligent application, which was funded by Changhong co., ltd, exploring the possibility of agricultural information service systems from the perspective of service design. This study analyzed touch points and design strategy of agricultural information service via qualitative and quantitative approach towards variety of vegetable growers in Pearl River Delta. On the basis of methodology and process of service design, this project interrogated reasonable service systems innovation, questioning integrated content and process through the fieldwork of local condition. Finally this study came up with products, interfaces, and interaction of the service systems according to user experience.This dissertation was an interdisciplinary work that consolidated PSS theory, human-computer interaction, agricultural knowledge, aesthetics and knowledge in various fields, generating a comprehensive design research and implementation from theoretical research and user study to design analysis, system creating and case study.Main contents of this thesis are revolving around four points:(1) Approaching qualitative and quantitative research towards target stakeholders through interview, observation and questionnaire in order to analyze the problem and demand regarding gaining and using agricultural information.(2) Making the confirmation of touch points from the perspective of existed blueprint, information architecture, persona and scenario.(3) Proposing systematic weather report, agricultural knowledge and experience, farming and market information, as well as making related service modules in accordance with three phases of agricultural activities.(4) Researching and designing products and interfaces in the product service systems according to three factors in terms as the context of use, user experience and emotional elements.As is summarized through the conclusion from theory and implementation, the methodology towards building agricultural information service systems based on design strategy can be more fitted to actual situation and need of villagers in China. The case study and design procedure in this paper will be desirable and essential to the reference of other similar design of agricultural information service systems.