Here's How To Break Free From the "Prove It Again" Cycle / Inside Service Design / Ep. #05
Service Design Show
Paths Into In‑House Service Design
Sara and Nancy share their routes into service design—from local government admin and marketing to architecture—and how prior on‑the‑job practices transferred into service design roles.
Are you tired of proving the value of service design… over and over again?
Well, I'm happy to share that you're not alone. It's one of the most common frustrations I hear from professionals in our field.
You work hard, you get a win, you move the needle... and then the next project starts, and it feels like you're right back at square one, making the case all over again. Sound familiar.
Many of us feel stuck in this endless "prove it" loop, wondering how to get service design to move from a special invitation to a fundamental expectation.
So, how do you break the cycle? How do you build momentum that lasts?
That’s the challenge we take head on in this episode of our Inside Service Design series.
In this series we explore the real, unpolished practice of driving change from within organizations.
For this conversation, I was joined by two brilliant in-house professionals, Nancy Samayoa and Sara Langston, who are deep in the reality of this work every day.
They share some honest and insightful perspectives on this struggle.
- Why service design can sometimes be perceived as a "threat" to the status quo.
- The moment they realized very few actually have seen service design at a true "scale" stage, and why that can feel so disheartening.
- And a powerful reframe: how to (re)define success by celebrating the small, daily, "invisible" wins that truly build momentum and prevent burnout.
As with all the conversations in this series what you'll be getting isn't just some interesting theory. It's a practical guide to shifting your mindset from chasing big, elusive victories to appreciating the daily progress that ultimately leads to lasting change.
So if you’re ready to hear how to play the long game and find sustainable ways to make an impact, this conversation is for you.
I'm curious, have you made a habit of celebrating the small, "invisible" wins? If so how are you doing that? And if no, what's stopping you?
Enjoy the conversation!
Be well,
~ Marc
--- [ 1. GUIDE ] ---
00:00 Welcome to August Round Up
04:30 Sara's unexpected journey in service design
06:30 Unexpected transferability of skills
09:30 Nancy's path from architecture to service design
12:30 "Gung-ho" applicant and a surprising hiring manager
14:30 Challenges of working on in-house projects
17:30 The "ooh," "ah," and "oh no" moments
19:30 How service designers are approached for projects
20:30 Service design as a perceived "threat" in government
23:00 Linking service design activities to positive outcomes
25:30 Getting past the "endless proof" stage
28:30 Garden metaphor = design maturity
31:45 Challenge of getting from the "prove" to the "scale" stage
33:45 Risk of service design
36:30 Applying models without feeling disheartened
38:00 What scaffolding looks like in service design
40:30 Focusing on celebrating the wins
42:00 Why we tend to focus on problems over success stories
43:15 Redefining success and progress
44:00 How Nancy views her wins
46:00 The Circle as an extended SD team
48:15 Sara's expectations
51:15 Nancy's service design expectations
52:45 SD skill: Relationship building
56:45 Treating stakeholder relationships like a research project
57:00 Other key skill: Curiosity
59:30 Question to ponder
1:02:15 Final words of wisdom from Sara
1:03:30 Final words of wisdom from Nancy
--- [ 2. LINKS ] ---
--- [ 3. CIRCLE ] ---
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https://servicedesignshow.com/circle
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