Living Labs and Service Design: Catalysts for Inneral area Development in Sicily

Abstract

Living Labs represents an innovative model for promoting innovation and community development by involving various stakeholders in the co-creation of real-world solutions. This contribution examines the role of Living Labs in Sicily’s inland areas, which face economic and infrastructural challenges, through projects such as PO FESR 2014/2020 and SNAI. It explores how these hubs can sustain their operations beyond initial funding, highlighting Service Design as an effective methodology to enhance the lifecycle of Living Labs. Tools such as Personas, Customer Journey Mapping, prototyping, testing, and cocreation workshops ensure relevant and adaptable solutions. The importance of designing well-structured service systems and developing sustainable business models is emphasized, involving the community and building strong partnerships to ensure the longterm sustainability of Living Labs, thus promoting sustainable and inclusive development in inland areas.