Switch-a-Room is a collaborative project developed using Product-Service System (PSS) design methods. The concept addresses one of the biggest stress factors for exchange students: finding safe, affordable housing in a foreign country.

The core idea is simple yet impactful — two students from different countries who are going on exchange at the same time switch rooms or apartments with each other. Instead of navigating unfamiliar rental markets, contracts, and potential scams, both students move directly into a verified living space, reducing uncertainty and practical barriers.

Using systems thinking and service design tools, we mapped the entire ecosystem surrounding student exchange, including universities, housing regulations, trust mechanisms, digital platforms, and stakeholder relationships. A central outcome of the project was a comprehensive giga map, visualizing the complex interactions between actors, incentives, risks, and opportunities within the housing and exchange system.

Switch-a-Room is not just a housing solution, but a service model built on mutual trust, institutional collaboration, and structured verification processes. By reframing student mobility as a reciprocal exchange rather than two separate housing searches, the project aims to make international exchange more accessible, secure, and less stressful.

Giga map