Four steps for designing services

Marc Stickdorn (2011) outlines a four step approach for designing services:

1. Exploration 

The process seldom starts from the customer, even though the customer is often in the centre when it comes to service design. We need to understand the goals and the culture of the company that provides a service and aks some questions, whether the company knows what service design is and if the are ready for such a process. Due to the reason that co-creativity is a part of service design it is important to agree on the extent to which the service designer has freedom in the creative process. First, we identify a problem that the designer will work on. We need to understand the view on the problem from the company's point of view.  Second, we shall NOT look for a solution, rather identify what the real problem is, i.e. understanding the situation from current and potential customers' point of view. We shall ascertain the real motivations for the reason why customers behave the way they do, meaning getting some insight instead of only gathering some empirical data. The third thing to do is visualise the findings and the underlying structure of the previous intangible services which helps in simplifying complex and intangible processes.  

2. Creation

We shall test and retest ideas an concept and not focus on avoiding mistakes but rather on exploring as many as possible. This should be done as early as possible and learn as much as we can from these mistakes. Service designers tend to have an obsession with sticky notes that help them illustrate associations and relationships, visualise processes etc. during co-creative ideation processes. Since service design is iterative as well during the four stages as within one of them, they work as a visual support to keep track on this quick and repetitive approach to development.   In this stage we gather and develop solutions to the insights we got in the first stage. All stakeholders should be included; we should work  with interdisciplinary teams including customers, employees, management, designers and so on to be able to come up with a holistic and sustainable solution. 

3. Reflection

Based on the developed concepts from previous stage it is now time to build some prototypes and test these with a few customers or experts to get some feedback and  to be able to make some improvements to match the expectations of the customer. There are though great challenges at this stage because we cannot just put the prototype on the table and aks their opinion; the customer also needs a mental picture on the future service. This is where the emotional aspects of the service needs to be considered. By using storyboards  videos, photos etc. we can help to generate the emotional engagement necessary but we will still be missing the user interaction that is considered important. Therefore we shall prototype the service concept i reality or close to it, e.g. through role play. With this cost-efficient method we engage users emotionally and and elicit fun. Creating these kind of prototype situations is not always possible so sometimes we try to create is as a kind of scenery. 

4.Implementation 

Last but not least, it is time to implement new service design concepts will demand a process of change. There are some principles of change management that have to be considered.  The sequence of planning , implementing, and reviewing change are great guidelines. We should make sure that the employees understand these changes so they get a real vision on the service moment, which can be illustrated with the help of blueprints. When implementing these changes there should be support for the employees and problems need to be solved quickly and creatively. The more we invest in these earlier stages, the more likely it is for the transition to run smoothly. Last but not least, it is time to review the changes, i.e. control the success which again will take us to the iterative service design thinking.




/Bella