Can Spaces Speak The Language Of Service Design?

A holistic approach to planning a physical space

“Let’s add more tables’’, my client said to me. We were working on a hospitality project at that time.

Something was missing! The puzzle didn’t fit right. We were at max capacity as per the standards, and my client wouldn’t agree. He kept insisting that we fit in more tables. I would think to myself, how would the waiters cater to the tables with a cramped setting. Also, what about the customers? Would they like being overheard by the people sitting on the next table? Well, there goes the recurring clientele the restaurant would want!

The holistic approach of planning a physical space, in tandem with the service, considering both the business and the creative standpoint; was the missing piece.

The more I thought about adopting this process; I noticed a resemblance to a museum design project that I had worked on earlier. Creating an intricate and carefully crafted experience required the application of best of UX & Service Design practices.

That’s when I started questioning. Shouldn’t we think of the complete package, from development to maintenance and everything in between, to create a blockbuster customer experience?

Museum design process: Using the holistic approach for a spatial experience

If I have to put the process in a double diamond, this is how it would look.

Starting wide with research on and off-field we would dive into defining WHO would come to the museum, WHY would they visit and WHAT they would expect? On the business front, we would ensure that we filter all design choices through the intent and messaging of the project.

Threading the journey — How might we build an engaging experience with a recall value!

Building a narrative is defining the customer journey, their reactions to space, what emotions it would evoke in them!

Visitors in a museum do not buy a physical product, they absorb the experience of touring through the space in a couple of hours. Visitors not only come to see the exhibition but also to walk through galleries to reminisce later.

We would build on a story-line that would seamlessly connect the spaces, keeping the museum-goers engaged.

Ideation -

The next challenge would be to ideate keeping in mind how we could best convey the story to our audiences — the medium, the colours, the tone, the font size, and so on.

Following this, we would prototype and test.

Service Design x Spatial Experience

As consumers, we often come across moments where the space and the service tell two different stories.

Developing a layered perspective when diving into a segment; be it healthcare, transport, fitness, or banking, would allow us to bring distinct physical elements and digital interactions together to create meaningful experiences.

Working alongside various professionals — engineers, analysts, architects; service designers have the weapons necessary to tackle wicked problems of the future.