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Design that Transforms. Professionals that Lead.

The service economy today represents over 75% of GDP and employment in Europe (Jornal de Negócios, 2024) and 76% of Gross Value Added in Portugal (Confederação do Comércio e Serviços de Portugal, 2023). In this context, demand is growing exponentially for professionals capable of conceiving, redesigning and managing products, services and experiences with rigour, creativity and real impact. Companies, public institutions and third-sector organisations need designers who not only respond to today’s challenges, but who anticipate those of the future.

The Master in Product and Service Design (MPSD) by University of Minho was created to respond directly to this reality. With a user-centred approach — Service Design methodologies, UX/UI and data-driven innovation — the programme prepares professionals to design meaningful experiences and service systems that work, Sustainably and with purpose.

With an innovative curriculum focused on excellence, the MPSD places user experience, the life cycle of products and services and their environmental impact at the centre of design initiatives. The programme is aligned with the highest international standards and has a specialised faculty, as well as strategic partnerships with public and private companies and entities throughout the entire programme, culminating in the opportunity to undertake a company placement in the 2nd year of the course. These partnerships also lead to employment opportunities after the course.

This learning ecosystem challenges students to solve real problems with real partners, developing the capacity to lead innovation processes in complex and constantly changing contexts.

Product and Service Design and Innovation: why MPSD?
Service Design is the discipline that designs services from the perspective of the people who use them – mapping journeys, identifying friction points and designing solutions that work coherently across all touchpoints. In the current context, where the distinction between physical product and digital service is blurring – for example, a mobility application, a health platform or a payment system – this competency has become essential in practically every sector. The MPSD also integrates UX/UI methodologies, which enable the design of digital interfaces and interactions centred on the real needs of users, and incorporates the conscious and ethical use of Artificial Intelligence as a tool for creative acceleration, behavioural analysis and prototyping of innovative solutions.



The programme develops competencies in all phases of the design process – from research to implementation:
- Design Research – Understanding people, contexts and systems; identifying real needs through qualitative and quantitative methods, including data analysis and AI tools;
- Conception and Strategy – Transforming insights into solutions: from concept definition to the design of user journeys, service flows and physical and digital interfaces (UX/UI);
- Prototyping and Testing – Building, experimenting and validating rapidly, using agile methodologies, physical and digital prototyping, and generative AI tools applied to design;
- Implementation – Planning the realisation of solutions, managing the life cycle of products and services, and evaluating the environmental, social and economic impact of design decisions.

Employment Opportunities 

The market increasingly values professionals who combine creativity, methodological rigour and technological literacy. MPSD graduates are prepared to work in design studios, innovation and development departments, industrial companies, consultancy firms, public services, start-ups, international organisations, in teaching and research, or as self-employed professionals, in roles that require precisely the ability to think in systems and design experiences that work. 

Key career paths include: 
- Product Designer
- Service Designer
- UX/UI Designer
- Designer Strategist
- Experience and Interaction Designer
- Innovation Consultant
- Customer Experience (CX) and Customer Journey (CJ) Designer
- Business Designer
- Public Sector Designer
- Innovation and Development Manager
- Social Innovation Designer
- User Researcher
- Applied Researcher
- Community Facilitator

Additional Information

The Master in Product and Service Design is based at the Guimarães Design Institute.

For further information on entry requirements, academic calendar, regulations or to schedule meetings with the Course Director, please contact mdps@eaad.uminho.pt.

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