Inside the life of a designer at SoftServe — on the bookshelves
Our go-to books for service design
By Eva Hernando, Lina Perepelitsa, Skipper Chong Warson, Marina Yancheva, and the SoftServe design center of excellence (COE)
- Want to explore another subject matter? See the whole bookshelf series here
With SoftServe’s design team dispersed across various locations globally, including the U.S., Ukraine, Bulgaria, Poland, Germany, Romania, the U.K., Singapore, Mexico, Colombia, and Chile, fostering effective collaboration while working remote (fully or partially) has become increasingly important. The rise of video calls, online workshops, and digital whiteboards has allowed us glimpses into our colleagues’ home and work environments, complete with human interactions, personal artifacts, plants, the occasional appearance of pets, and our bookshelves.
Inspired by this, we pondered the question: as designers, what books do we keep on our respective shelves? Whether physical or digital, displayed for aesthetic purposes, a quick reference, or some combination thereof, these hold significance and are crucial in our professional lives in understanding complex subjects.
With all of that in mind, we have a list of books compiled by the SoftServe design COE generally around service design. What follows is a list of seven (7) titles.
TL;DR: Amidst the assortment of books on service design, many are good, and if you needed to pick just one, we’d grab This is Service Design Thinking by Marc Stickdorn.
Let’s get into all of them — presented below alphabetically according to the primary author’s last name.
Good Services: How to Design Services that Work by Lou Downe (Bookshop • Amazon)
“Good Services,” written in 2020, proposes a set of principles that good services should have, and it reflects on the fundamental question for service design, What is a good service? The book sets out what makes a good service — often by providing stories of services demonstrating the lack of conscious design — while offering 15 principles that each reflect one aspect of creating a good experience for not only users but also organizations and the world. They emphasizes the importance of putting customers at the center of service design and provides practical insights into creating meaningful and valuable experiences. Downes also highlights the role of technology in enabling and enhancing service experiences, stressing the need for seamless integration of digital and physical touchpoints while advocating for services that promote fairness, transparency, and social responsibility. On the downside, some readers might need specific implementation guidelines or actionable steps, as it leans more towards conceptual discussions rather than providing a step-by-step framework. Nonetheless, Downes’ book offers valuable insights into the core principles of service design and inspires readers to think critically about creating impactful and customer-centric services.
An Introduction to Service Design: Designing the Invisible by Lara Penin (Bookshop • Amazon)
This 2018 book introduces readers to service design’s fundamental concepts and practices. “An Introduction to Service Design” provides a clear and concise overview of the discipline, exploring the various methods, tools, and frameworks used in service design. Lara Penin emphasizes the need to understand customers’ experiences fully and design services that meet their needs. One positive aspect of the book is its rich visual content, featuring numerous case studies, illustrations, and examples that help bring the concepts to life. The book also covers various other topics, including service blueprints, customer journey mapping, prototyping, and evaluation, providing readers with a holistic understanding of service design. In short, Penin’s book is an excellent starting point for those new to the field, offering a solid foundation to explore the area further.
Service Design: From Insight to Implementation by Andy Polaine (Bookshop • Amazon • Rosenfeld)
“Service Design” is a comprehensive guide to the service design process, encompassing insights and solutions. This book, co-authored by Andy Polaine, Ben Reason, and Lavrans Løvlie, offers a robust understanding of the theory and practice of service design. It stands out for its strong emphasis on collaboration and co-creation, highlighting the significance of involving stakeholders, customers, and designers right from the outset. This participatory approach is pivotal in crafting more effective and meaningful solutions. Polaine presents an invaluable resource tailored for service design professionals and practitioners. It offers practical insights and guidance that can significantly enhance service design projects.
Given that this book was published in 2013 and such a foundational book on the subject, it’s worth noting that Polaine currently maintains a blog titled “Doctor’s Note” and hosts a podcast named “Power of Ten,” where he explores topics related to service design, innovation, and user experience.
Service Design for Business by Ben Reason (Bookshop • Amazon • Wiley)
“Service Design for Business” by Ben Reason — one of the founders of live|work, a design consultancy — provides a practical and accessible introduction to the business perspective of service design. It emphasizes the value of integrating design thinking into business strategy and decision-making processes, highlighting the potential for service design to drive innovation and create customer-centric experiences. With this 2015 book, Reason — in his second appearance on this list (he’s also a co-author of Rosenfeld’s “Service Design” along with Polaine) — offers a range of case studies and real-world examples demonstrating service design’s successful application in various industries. These examples provide valuable insights into how organizations have used service design to solve complex problems and improve their offerings. Some may find the focus of this book to be limiting; however, “Service Design for Business” serves as a valuable resource for business professionals and leaders interested in integrating service design into their organizations (and vice versa), offering practical insights and examples to inspire and guide.
This Is Service Design Doing by Marc Stickdorn (Bookshop • Amazon)
Written in 2018, this book provides practical insights and tools for implementing service design projects. One positive aspect of the book is its focus on the collaborative nature of service design. It emphasizes the importance of cross-functional teams and focuses on fostering collaboration, co-creation, and multidisciplinary approaches. Stickdorn also provides a range of real-world case studies and examples, showcasing successful service design projects from various industries. These case studies serve as valuable sources of inspiration and illustrate the practical application of service design principles. Another strength of the book is its encouragement of a mindset of continuous learning and improvement by promoting the use of prototypes, testing, and feedback loops. In short, “This Is Service Design Doing” is a valuable resource for practitioners looking to apply service design principles collaboratively and iteratively, with numerous practical examples and insights to guide their projects.
This Is Service Design Methods by Marc Stickdorn (Bookshop • Amazon)
This companion to “This Is Service Design Doing,”published in 2018, offers a variety of tools, techniques, and methods for service design practitioners. One positive aspect of the book is its extensive collection of methods, which provides designers with a rich toolbox to approach various stages of the service design process. The book presents over 50 methods, including visualization techniques, customer journey mapping, prototyping, and co-creation exercises. These methods are explained clearly and concisely, making them accessible to beginners and experienced designers alike. Some may find the focus on methods too limiting as opposed to how best to apply them effectively in real-world service design projects. Despite this minor point, “This Is Service Design Methods” is a valuable resource for service design practitioners, offering a diverse range of methods that can inspire and support the design process.
This is Service Design Thinking: Basics, Tools, Cases by Marc Stickdorn (Bookshop • Amazon)
Stickdorn’s third entry on our list isn’t strictly a Stickdorn entry — it’s actually twenty-three international authors as well as online contributors — but it breaks down the basics, tools, and cases of service design, providing practical examples that facilitate understanding and application of service design in various contexts. One of the notable strengths of the book lies in its ability to present information in a language that is easy to understand and a captivating style that appeals to individuals at all levels of expertise, from beginners to seasoned practitioners. One of the most helpful things with this book is a one-page “Customer Journey Canvas,” which can be used to quickly sketch any service on a single sheet of paper. It also covers various service design topics, including prototyping and co-creation, providing readers with a holistic understanding of the discipline. Since this book is the oldest among the listed, it is worth noting that specific tools, techniques, or examples mentioned within may have undergone changes or become less relevant as time has passed, but overall, “This is Service Design Thinking” is a valuable resource for individuals interested in understanding the fundamentals of service design and exploring its practical applications through real-world case studies.
And that’s our list of the top seven (7) books for service design. Do you agree? Disagree? Did we miss a book that you have found to be most useful in your work? Let us know in the comments.
