A More Coherent Definition of Service Design

We seem to need a more coherent definition for Service Design. It’s a tall order because there are so many definitions already permeating social media — none of them spot on. They all have inherent flaws in logic and practical application.

So here’s mine (from 30 years of designing mostly successful services across the private sector, public sector, and non-profit sector.). Feel free to chime in with you comments.

• Service Design is a non-aesthetic design practice that helps service providers offer a benefit to users.
• Its user-centric tools and techniques of the practice allow providers to achieve more predictable, successful outcomes.
• The tools and techniques used by service designers are used to design new services and address concerns or challenges with existing services, such as whether to improve the service, alter key parts of the service to adapt to changing circumstances and assess the value of a service to users and providers alike.
• A successful service is one that delivers a satisfying outcome to users.

Follow other stories from Service Design Insight

• Tufte’s 6 Principles for Graphical Integrity (Adopted for Service Design)
• Why Use a Service Blueprint? (A Service Design Technique)
• Service Design Principle No 1: Serve User Needs
• A collection of Service Design techniques is only a small part of being a service designer
• What makes a service succeed or fail? Expectations
• Getting the Message Right
• Ninety percent of companies have loyalty programs — does yours?
• Satisfactory services depend on user’s preconceptions
• Service Design Is One Of The Fastest Growing Fields
• Welcome to the age of Artificial Intelligence — guaranteed to change your experiences.
• Do you have what it takes? A service design job description
• A practical guide to service design — Service Design Models, Tools and Templates (2nd Ed.)
• Looking for a service design job? Here are some ideas
• How to re-open schools to everyone’s satisfaction
• Time for a new approach to the Healthcare Experience
• The U.S. airline Americans love to hate: Why service designers need personas
• Service designers need to be leaders, too
• The good news: disruptive innovative services will bring markets back
• A service designer could have prevented the fiasco in Iowa
• NPS remains useful — but a useful tool is not always the best tool
• To know user centricity is to understand service design
• Setting up organizations to succeed: service concepts
• The “error” in trial and error — the need for service design techniques
• Why we need quality services
• Why services fail: not customer service
• Got an idea for a service? Here’s how to evaluate its merit
• Stop bashing personas
• Smart Cities: Calling on Service Designers
• Exceed user expectations at your peril
• How to create a service recovery program — or not?
• Prototyping Services Case Study: Storm Rescue Operations

Drop me a line: steven@internationalservicedesigninstitute.com

Find service design learning at www.internationalservicedesigninstitute.com