Service design is an intricate and well-planned process that focuses on the creation and delivery of services, which are not just useful and usable, but also efficient, effective, and desirable.
This process is characterised by it’s human centred design nature, that places humans at the core of its approach, ensuring that the services which are created effectively meet the needs and expectations of the users.
This process of service design is fundamentally collaborative. It involves many different of service providers, users, and any other parties that might be relevant to the service. The involvement of such a diverse array of stakeholders ensures a broad range of ideas and perspectives are included in the design process. This leads to the creation of more comprehensive and inclusive service solutions that cater to a wide range of needs and demands.
Another defining characteristic of the service design process is that it is both iterative and sequential. Being iterative means that the process is not a one-time event. It is instead a continuous cycle that involves designing, testing, receiving feedback, refining the service, and redesigning it until the service meets the desired standards. This allows for continuous improvement and adaptation to changing needs and circumstances.
Being sequential, on the other hand, ensures that the process follows a specific order or series of steps. Each step builds upon the previous one, creating a logical and progressive flow to the design process.
One of the critical aspects of service design is that the process is grounded in reality. This implies that the design process involves research and understanding of real-world problems, needs, and contexts. The services created are thus based on practical, applicable, and impactful solutions to real-world issues. This approach ensures that the services created are not just theoretically sound but are also useful and effective in the real world.
Service design also adopts a holistic approach, considering all aspects of a service, including both visible and invisible components. This holistic view ensures that every part of the service, including the people, processes, and physical and digital interactions, are designed to work together seamlessly to deliver a superior user experience. By taking into account all these different elements, service design ensures a cohesive and integrated approach to service delivery.
A beginner’s guide to what service design is not
This article by Medium includes a very interesting diagram showing the involvement of each design specialism in the delivery if a service and their involvement in each. I found it particularly useful in getting a better understanding of the role of a service designer in the industry.
<aside> ⭐ REFLECTION: Service Design is an area I find particularly interesting. I quite like it because it feels very ‘real’. Of course, every product and design in industry is ‘real’, however what draws me to service design in particular is it’s holistic nature, as one considers both digital product but also the interaction between humans both through the user / service threshold and internally within the service. It is highly problem solving in nature as it is a very intricate process which involves much iteration and testing.
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