Exploring Service Design Principles and Practices

Sep 10, 2024

Lecture Notes: Service Design by Jamon Hegerman

Introduction

  • Speaker: Jamon Hegerman, Head of Design for Financial Services at Capital One.
  • Background: Formerly at Adaptive Path, acquired by Capital One.
  • Goals: Scaling service design within the organization.

Service Design Overview

  • Common Questions about Service Design:
    • What is service design?
    • What do service designers do?
    • How does it differ from other forms of design?
    • How to introduce service design into an organization?
    • How to become a service designer?

Example Case Study

  • Improving Patient Experience in a Neurosurgery Clinic:
    • Conducted observations of patient-surgeon interactions.
    • Engaged with patients in the waiting room for insights.
    • Proposed solutions:
      • Rearranged seating to accommodate wheelchairs.
      • Redesigned brochures and communication artifacts.
      • Developed an interactive system for patient-staff engagement.

Differences Between Service Design and Product Design

  • Service Design: Looks at broader experiences and interactions, potential solutions are more open-ended.
  • Product Design: Focused on specific products or touchpoints, often guided by direct requests.

Defining Service Design

  • Definition: Methods and craft for defining and orchestrating service experiences that encompass products, communications, interactions, operations, and organizational structure.
  • Key Characteristics:
    • Service cannot be physically handled (e.g., haircuts, conferences).
    • Products can be part of service delivery.

Principles of Service Design

  1. Human-Centered: Always focus on the user experience.
  2. Co-Creative: Involve various stakeholders in the design process.
  3. Sequenced: Organize experiences in stages.
  4. Visual: Use visual tools (e.g., maps, blueprints) for clarity.
  5. Holistic: Consider the entire ecosystem of service delivery.

Service Design Process

  • Stages:
    1. Research (customers, service providers, stakeholders).
    2. Journey Mapping: Understanding end-to-end customer journeys.
    3. Ideation: Brainstorming solutions.
    4. Storyboards and Service Blueprints: Visualize the experience.

Importance of Journey Maps

  • Journey maps help visualize the customer experience and are increasingly popular in understanding interactions and touchpoints.

Building a Service Design Practice

  • Starting Points:
    • Hire external designers or service design agencies.
    • Form cross-disciplinary teams combining various skills (business, design, technology).
    • Develop an organizational structure that supports service design.

Essential Skills for Service Designers

  • Skills include:
    • Problem framing and design execution.
    • Empathy and collaboration.
    • Storytelling and visualization.
    • Understanding various design approaches.

Closing Thoughts

  • Key Takeaways:
    1. Products exist within larger ecosystems.
    2. Service design practices are relevant to all designers.
    3. The world needs skilled service designers to address complexities and challenges.

Additional Resources

  • Recommended books and websites for further learning in service design.