Goal
Given that Services have specific implications, designing them is a complex, iterative and multi-disciplinary process. Service Design is a field that allows and encourages competencies from different fields to come together. Experts from different disciplines have contributed with various perspectives to this new practice. To make it easy for a broad range of professionals to fully understand Service Design, this work sets out to turn Service Design into a tangible, accessible reality. As a practical starting kit it compiles tools and methods of Service Design to facilitating the explanation of Service Design to clients, institutions and investors. In addition this work gives me, as the author, the opportunity to establish a holistic and practical knowledge of Service Design, as well as an opportunity to explore and understand various tools and experts in Service Design and its related fields. It enables me to examine this field from an international perspective, to equip myself with a broad range of valuable contacts, tools and knowledge.
To me is clear that I have a unique opportunity to use the experience and the network that partially result from the MEDes1 and from Birgit Mager’s2 support and endorsement. The combination of both enables me finally to write the first master in Service Design – a subject that I’m very passionate about. This work includes four chapters. The first chapter sets out to set up the background for the development of Service Deisgn, including the changes in the economy and in design. The second chapter gives an insight into Service Design as a new field, including what it differientates and what it can deliver. The third chapter explores how Service Design can be made accessible in a practical way. The fourth chaper is the conclusion of this work. The working process has been kept transparent and documented via a Blog.3 This paper includes research, thoughts and reasoning as well as some material that specifically helps to understand Service Design. Quotes, visual material and summaries support this paper to be a compact and reader friendly summary of Service Design.
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Introduction
Bill Hollins, Service Design pioneer
The complex and multi-disciplinary field of Service Design according to some experts can address some of the key challenges that our society and economy is facing.
Service Design
“One of the big challenges is to get people in the service industry to realise that they are involved in design and to get help to improve it.”
1 MEDes – European studies in design. A new programme joining seven European design universities, including two years in two different countries. 2 Birgit Mager is Professor for Service Design at Köln International School of Design, Cologne 2 On-line communication platform: http://master.stefan-moritz.com