What is Service Design?
an outsider’s introduction
Kellock Irvin
NY, NY

Service:
the action of helping or doing work for someone

Service:
the action of helping or doing work for someone
Design:
purpose, planning, or intention that exists or is thought to exist behind
an action, fact, or material object

Service:
the action of helping or doing work for someone
Design:
purpose, planning, or intention that exists or is thought to exist behind
an action, fact, or material object
Service Design:
the activity of planning and organizing people, infrastructure,
communication and material components of a service in order to improve
the quality and interaction between service providers and customers.
wiki

Why?
The purpose of service design methodologies is to design according to the
needs of customers or participants, so that the service is
user-friendly
competitive
relevant to the customers.
wiki

Where can we use service design?
Health Care
Social Service
Mobile & Technology
Government
Media
Event Production

Who does service design?
strategists Ideo
creatives frog design
scholars Daytona
lawyers inreality
anthropologists Adaptive Path
marketers Fjord
engineers Cooper
financiers you
teachers me

Ingredients:
User Touchpoints:
Places in which a service interacts with people and organizations
e.g. websites, 1800 numbers, helpdesks, APIs, et cetera

Ingredients:
User Toughpoints
Places in which a service interacts with people and organizations
Systems
What are the structures and forces upon which the service depends?
e.g. politics, human resources, supply chains, production lines, et cetera

Ingredients:
User Touchpoints
Places in which a service interacts with people and organizations
Systems
What are the structures and forces upon which the service depends?
Social Strategy
Bigger questions, problem resolution
e.g. how do I get better at remembering to pay my taxes?
how can we decrease crime in urban neighborhoods?

Ingredients:
User Experience
Systems Effective Service Design
Social Strategy

Method:
Discover Purpose:
Uncover and frame the service design opportunity
Method:
Define Interviews, surveys, cultural probes, storytelling,
market research, shadowing
Output
Lay of the land, insights, and territory maps
Develop
Questions:
Where are opportunities for service design?
What are interesting problems to address
Deliver

Method:
Discover Purpose:
Distill key findings and insights into design
directions based on research. Understand needs
Method:
Define Roleplay, territory maps, stakeholder maps
Output
User needs matrix, conceptual models, customer
journeys, personas
Develop
Questions:
What does the research tell us? What issues/needs
are important and relevant to address?
Deliver

Method:
Discover Purpose:
Envision future scenarios and validate them with
potential stakeholders
Method:
Define Storyboarding, user testing, collage tools, prototype
Output
Scenarios, wireframes, service models
Develop
Questions:
What are the tools and processes for delivery?
What is the service cycle? and how often do users
engage with it? Tangible and intangible aspects.
Deliver

Method:
Discover Purpose:
Refine idea based on feedback from generative
research
Method:
Define
Output
Video sketches, service models, blueprints, mockups
Questions:
What’s the best way to communicate the service
concept? What are the key ideas?
Develop
Deliver

What’s the scene like now?
Aspirational territory...people are aware, but more
focused on user experience/marketing

What’s the scene like now?
True service design for existing customers is highly
disruptive and requires monsterous trade-offs and a
long term commitment
A service demands value only once a customer sees value in it
e.g. one doesn’t need a locksmith until you’re locked out

Where can I find opportunity?
Everyday life
e. g How can we make a service that teaches children how to manage their
money?
theconsumerist.com
e. g How can we create a service that addresses drunk walking? Driving?

Further Reading/Info (click)
Service Design Network
This Is Service Design
Service Design Group

Enjoy Designing!
Kellock Irvin
NY, NY