Service Design — a holistic approach to customer experience
Service Design is an emerging field focused on the creation of well thought through experiences using a combination of intangible and tangible mediums. To understand service design, one must know the difference between the user experience and service design. User Experience Design is the process of enhancing the user satisfaction by improving usability, accessibility and pleasure provided in the interaction between the user and the product/service. Where as service design assures the experience of a customer end-end interaction with a company/product/service.
In simple terms UX Design focuses on on-screen user experiences, whereas Service Design encompasses both on-screen and off-screen user experiences. Service Design involves People Management and Operations Management. It cover everything the user touches in their journey. This will cross multiple channels, involve online-and-offline stuff, digital and human interactions, involve the business model, etc.
Most of the time business insight don’t lead to customer satisfaction and customer insight don’t lead to business result.
What can a Service Design do?
Service design as a practice generally results in the design of systems and processes aimed at providing a holistic service to the user. Its is well thought design service in an attempt to create social and economical value by incorporating business value and due consideration of customer satisfaction. Service design helps to innovate and improve service to make company offering more useful, usable, efficient and desirable. It can increase profit, grow margins, streamline operations, innovate new solutions to attain customer experience and redefine the brand reputation.
Five key principles to keep in mind when re-thinking a service:
- User-Centered: People are at the center of the service design.
- Co-Creative: Service design should involve other people, especially those who are part of a system or a service.
- Sequencing: Services should be visualized by sequences, or key moments in a customer’s journey.
- Evidencing: Customers need to be aware of elements of a service. Evidencing creates loyalty and helps customers understand the entire service experience.
- Holistic: A holistic design takes into account the entire experience of a service. Context matters.
To know more read:
THIS IS SERVICE DESIGN THINKING
-Marc Stickdorn and Jakob Schneider
One of the first textbooks on service design. Get yourself a copy here
