Definition
Service design is the design of services. It is the design of multiple interactions over time to create an experience. The architect designs the building, the UX designer creates the interface, the graphic designer the signage, the business team the operations, etc, etc. And the service designer works with each to choreograph all these elements and interactions over time for the desired effect and impact. The practice is very diverse, with the service designer working at various scales and time frames and across disciplines to ensure the elements and touch points of the system work together in the desired fashion.
My Approach
As a service designer I design systems, processes, organizations, and experiences. Very often organizations design individual elements of their business activities incredibly well, but the interactions between these elements, as well as their interactions over time, are left unconsidered. The larger system is typically not designed, but has evolved, and often in problematic ways.
As a service designer I spend a lot of time listening and working to understand user and organizational current states. A great deal of time is then spent to synthesize this information into meaningful representations and abstractions of the current system. I then work across multiple touchpoints from architecture to digital interactions to human conversations to visual communication and product to design a new future state, in which all of these elements work together to create a meaningful experience for the users.
I work on strategy with senior leadership to consider overarching goals and needs and how service design can help address these, and I also work with design teams at the individual touchpoint level to make sure these elements are working within the larger system. Service design is ultimately about understanding and unpacking complexity, and then thoughtfully aligning the many moving parts and elements to create a desired outcome.
