Service Design Show

What would you say is one of the most daunting design challenges of our time? I hope our climate crisis at least crossed your mind. As Cat Drew argues, we as a service design community play a key role in helping to solve this crisis. Cat is the Chief Design Officer at the UK Design Council and currently championing the Design for Planet initiative. In this week's episode of the Show we talk about the opportunities designing with the planet in mind brings to organizations. And how the organizations which keep on ignoring their responsibility will be left behind. Cat shares a lot of encouraging examples of services where planet was part of the design brief. But no matter how hard you want to use design to shape a better world... If the client who is hiring you doesn't care, it's going to be a very hard task. So you need to encourage and inspire your clients to make the planet part of the design brief. It's not easy, but there are some great resources that help you do this and you'll learn about them in this episode. As a service design community we need to lead by example. Designing with the plant in mind is not a choice. It's a responsibility. This conversation with Cat hopefully inspires you to look beyond the current borders of service design! --- [ GUIDE ] -— 00:00 Welcome to episode 142 02:45 Who is Cat 03:40 60 second rapid fire 05:45 What is the UK Design Council 11:15 What is Design for Planet 14:15 Cats personal journey 17:00 Awarenes within service design 21:45 Encouraging examples 27:30 Roadblocks and challenges 35:30 How to get started 39:30 The business opportunity 42:00 What is missing 44:45 Taking responsibility 46:30 The plan ahead 48:15 Recommended resources 51:00 Final thoughts --- [ LINKS ] --- * Design for Planet Film - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEkInJzvv84 * Design for Planet festival - https://www.designforplanet.org/ * Design for Planet fellows - https://www.designcouncil.org.uk/news-opinion/design-council-announces-design-planet-fellows * Design Council medium blog - https://medium.com/design-council * Salford Wetland - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wC-yjQemBmU * Systemic Design Framework - https://www.designcouncil.org.uk/resources/guide/download-our-systems-shifting-design-report and animation https://vimeo.com/665550484 * The climate framework https://www.climateframework.com/ * Circular Design hub - https://archive.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/explore/* Circular-design and Circular Economy Hub - https://ce-hub.org/ * https://leap.eco/ --- [ HOW TO EXPLAIN SERVICE DESIGN ] --- Learn what it takes to get your clients, colleagues, managers, CEOs and even grandmas as excited about service design as you are. https://servicedesignshow.com/free-course

Embedding design into an existing organization often feels like... trying to cram a square peg through a round hole. Right? In our attempts we often need to bend and shape design in ways that make it lose some of its most important qualities. Just think about how the holistic nature disappears when design becomes siloed across different departments. Which almost always happens. … and then people wonder why design isn't delivering on it's promise :-/ I recently had the pleasure to interview Naomi Stanford for the Show. Naomi is an authority in the field of organization design (just published her 8th book). In the conversation you’re about to hear we discuss the role of legacy and heritage, whether embedding design should be a top down or bottom up approach and whose responsibility is it anyway. As I found out myself, if you're a service design professional and haven't been exposed to organization design then you're absolutely missing out. Naomi is a great storyteller and brings up tons of inspiring examples on how these two fields strengthen each other. Click the link below to get in on all the details. I always love conversations with people who are on the fringes of service design. They expand my idea of what's possible. --- [ GUIDE ] -— 00:00 Welcome to episode 141 04:55 Who is Naomi 07:45 60 second rapid fire 10:45 A different way to look at design 14:15 The relationship to management 17:15 Look at how work gets done 22:30 What's the downside 25:15 The role of incentives 27:45 Making the leap 32:15 Corporate rebels 39:15 When leadership needs to step in 43:00 What are you going to do 46:15 Showing the organisational benefits 50:00 Embedding change 53:00 Recommended resources 55:15 Final thoughts --- [ LINKS ] --- * https://naomistanford.com/ * https://www.linkedin.com/in/naomi-stanford-54373b2/ * The Every (book) - https://amzn.to/33NTAPg * Tempered Radicals (book) - https://amzn.to/3KlbHNj * https://www.openlawlab.com/ * https://naomistanford.com/2021/11/08/organisation-design-odile-the-organisation-designer/ * https://naomistanford.com/2021/11/22/organisation-design-odile-the-organisation-designer-part-2/ * https://naomistanford.com/2021/12/06/organisation-design-odile-the-organisation-designer-part-3/ * https://naomistanford.com/2021/12/20/organisation-design-odile-the-organisation-designer-part-4/ * https://naomistanford.com/2008/10/26/organizational-horseholding/ * https://naomistanford.com/2017/12/27/designing-brave/ * https://naomistanford.com/2018/02/14/organization-design-a-toolkit-of-toolkits/ * https://naomistanford.com/2021/12/13/the-right-word/ --- [ HOW TO EXPLAIN SERVICE DESIGN ] --- Learn what it takes to get your clients, colleagues, managers, CEOs and even grandmas as excited about service design as you are. https://servicedesignshow.com/free-course

How do you keep growing as a mid / senior level service design professional? It's mostly likely less and less through formal theory and education. Once you reach a certain level of maturity in your craft suddenly the small details and nuances start to make a big difference. But you won't find those things on Google. These learnings are hidden in the lived experiences from other professionals and communicated through rich stories. Until recently there wasn't a place where you could get exposed to these stories on a regular basis. That's why in the summer of 2021 I started an experiment called the Circle. The Circle is a community of and for in-house service designers. We gather on a monthly basis to learn from each other around different topics. The goal with the Circle was to create a safe space where it's okay to talk about the messy parts of our work. A place where you can go deep into the practice. Yes, nerding out on service design if you will :) Now, half a year later, it was time to evaluate this experiment and define it's next iteration. Of course this happened in co-creation with the current participants. In this short podcast episode you get a sneak peak inside the Circle. You'll learn what's working and what isn't. The exciting plans we have for this year. And if a community like this could be right for you. If you're currently not working in-house and still made it to the end of this email... let me know if you'd be interested in a community like this but for independent and agency folks. --- [ CIRCLE ] -— Join our community of in-house service design professionals at the Circle. https://www.servicedesignshow.com/circle/

What is it that truly matters? Let's go back to the moment you first learned about service design. You know, when you entered the rabbit hole. There is so much to learn and to explore. It can easily become very complex and overwhelming. But if you want to become a service design practitioner you have to start somewhere. Right? You have to find a way to develop your skills without getting discouraged about all the things you don't know yet. And you know what the worst part is when you're getting started? That you always get the answer "It depends" when you seek advice from experienced service design professionals. Of course they are right. There is no fixed recipe on how to use the tools, methods and frameworks. But that doesn't really help you move forward. So how do you figure this stuff out as a working professional who is transitioning into this field? Today I want to share a unique story with you. Usually the guests you hear on the show already have some kind of track record in service design. You rarely hear the stories of people who are just getting started. And that's exactly what this episode is about. Herb Sawyer is at the start of his journey into service design. And he came onto the Show to share his experience so far. What I find so valuable about this conversation is that it inspires you to adopt a beginner's mind again. I hope that after listening to Herb's story you'll start thinking about the things you take for granted in your practice today. Things that maybe deserve more of your attention. We started with the question "What is it that truly matters?". This episode gives you some practical guidance on how to figure out what the answer is for you. --- [ GUIDE ] -— 00:00 Welcome to episode 140 05:15 Who is Herb 06:00 Rapid fire question round 09:30 Becoming one of them 13:45 How did we get here 19:30 Applying for a service design job 27:00 What's still missing 32:00 Tools versus process 34:30 How to grow and get better 39:30 The a-ha moments! 44:15 The challenging parts 47:45 The big questions 50:00 Fast forwarding one year ahead 52:00 Words of advice 56:15 Final thoughts --- [ LINKS ] --- * https://www.linkedin.com/in/herbsawyer/ ============ Learn how to Sell Service Design with Confidence https://servicedesignshow.com/selling/ ============

"Design and business only work together if there is common ground." That's one of the quotes from the conversation I recently had with David Dunne. But finding this common ground is easier said than done. These days it's still the school of management that's driving most companies. And I think you'll agree that design and management don't necessarily share the same world view, beliefs and approaches. These differences create tensions. These tensions prevent both sides from achieving the best possible outcomes. What David Dunne and his colleagues are doing is creating a shared language around these tensions (they refer to them as double binds). This shared language is essential! Because that helps to make these tensions tangible. And once they are tangible it becomes much easier to create mutual understanding and find constructive ways to work with each other. In this episode David shares the 6 double binds he uncovered through his research. I'm sure you'll recognize a few ;) Want to finally break through some of that stubborn resistance you meet when trying to embed design within your organization? Then this episode is just for you! --- [ EPISODE GUIDE ] -— 00:00 Welcome to the Show 04:15 Who is David Dunne 06:00 What are double binds 08:45 Why is this important 10:30 Creativity in organisations 12:30 Examples of double binds 14:45 How do you know you're in a double bind 20:00 General principles to the solutions 27:00 Humility and reflection 28:45 Other examples 30:30 Who needs to hear this 33:45 Lessons from the Circle 35:45 What is the risk 39:00 Reaching out to David 39:30 Open questions 41:30 Closing thoughts --- [ CIRCLE ] -— Join our community of in-house service design professionals at the Circle. https://www.servicedesignshow.com/circle/

Regardless of where you are today in your career, at some point you'll want to work on new challenges, learn new things and be exposed to new experiences. When you start to get this itch it's important to recognize that it's a pivotal moment. At this point one might take the approach where they grab the best next opportunity that presents itself on the journey. This opportunistic approach will probably lead you to some interesting adventures, but it also comes with a significant risk. When you let your career be determined by the direction of the wind you might end up drifting away from the things you love to do. And the longer you stay in this position the harder it will be to let go of the lifestyle that comes with it. This is exactly what happened to Alessandra Canella, our guest in this episode. Her career took a path which is similar to many service design professionals. Starting out as a practitioner she slowly worked her way "up" to being a lead, managing a design team. But what if you discover that you don't enjoy management, at all? What if you realize that your true passion is to stay close to the actual practice? Are there still any growth opportunities left for you as a service design professional? This was the burning question Alessandra needed to find an answer to. In this episode of the Show we discuss how she took a designerly career development approach and managed to reignite the fire within her. You can't guarantee that every step in your career will work out the way you hope. But there's definitely a lot you can do to increase the likelihood. --- [ GUIDE ] -— 00:00 Welcome to episode 139 04:20 Who is Alessandra 05:00 60 second rapid fire 07:15 Career paths in service design 09:00 Key moments 15:15 Deliberate or organic path 18:45 The expectation 24:45 A lateral move 30:15 It's not for every organisation 33:00 How to stay on track 39:15 Finding the courage 42:15 The right moment to move 47:00 Recognizing the signals 53:00 Closing thoughts --- [ LINKS ] --- * https://www.linkedin.com/in/alessandracanella/ --- [ HOW TO EXPLAIN SERVICE DESIGN ] --- Learn what it takes to get your clients, colleagues, managers, CEOs and even grandmas as excited about service design as you are. https://servicedesignshow.com/free-course

Looking for practical service design tips and tricks? Who doesn't right :) So in this episode you'll hear four commited service design professionals open up and share their best practices with you. ============ For more best practices join the upcoming cohort of our Selling Service Design with Confidence program. https://servicedesignshow.com/selling/ ============ These best practices focus on how you can get buy-in and support for your work (especially from non-designers). Which, as you probably have experienced, is not a trivial task. To understand where these best practices are coming from we also discuss the challenges these professionals were running into, the lessons they learned the hard way and of course... what they are doing differently today to be more successful. Is it mostly about the small details? Or is a bigger mindset shift needed? Enjoy the episode and if you have any best practices on this topic I'd love to know! ============ Learn how to Sell Service Design with Confidence. Join the upcoming cohort! https://servicedesignshow.com/selling/ ============

A clear pattern is emerging... You know what I see when I look at who is hiring service design professionals these days? It's product driven tech companies! When you take a closer look it's not that surprising that these companies are looking into service design. They are realizing that they need to take responsibility for a larger part of the user experience. A part which includes many non-digital aspects. Just think of how AirBnB deals with properties, Uber with cars and Amazon with physical goods. But it's not just these tech giants. Examples are all around us. You could say that these tech companies are going through their own analoge transformation. Coming in as a service designer into such an environment is... well, quite an interesting experience with it's own set of challenges. For instance you'll find that your work potentially overlaps a lot with product managers. Next to that you're often not tied to operation so it's hard to show tangible impact on customers. And as you start out embedded in the digital part of the company it means you can influence the entire journey. So considering all this it's fair to say that the odds of you being successful are not stacked in your favor. But there's hope. Our guest this week Chris Risdon has made a sport out of establish service design within tech driven companies. And over the past years he learned through trail and error what works and what doesn't. As often is the case the most important lessons boil down to a few simple things... things which are unfortunately easy to forget. Luckily Chris does a great job of reminding us of them. Even if you're currently not in a product driven tech company I'm confident that these lessons will help you be more impactful. Enjoy the episode and keep making a positive impact :) --- [ GUIDE ] -— 00:00 Welcome to episode 138 03:30 Who is Chris 04:30 60 second rapid fire 10:15 Humanizing technology 15:15 Where is this coming from 18:45 The challenges 22:30 Is service design compatible 25:45 Sharing the wins 29:30 Where to start 34:45 The overlap with product management 39:15 What does impact look like 41:30 Connecting the dots 46:00 Be a journalist 51:45 The first steps 56:00 Final thoughts --- [ LINKS ] --- * https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisrisdon/ BOOKS * https://rosenfeldmedia.com/books/orchestrating-experiences/ * Artemisia Gentileschi - https://amzn.to/31Fllse * Visualizing Black America - https://amzn.to/3EEaNZ0 --- [ HOW TO EXPLAIN SERVICE DESIGN ] --- Learn what it takes to get your clients, colleagues, managers, CEOs and even grandmas as excited about service design as you are. https://servicedesignshow.com/free-course

Ever wanted to have a good service design case study? What about 100? Coming up! Read on to learn more. I still struggle when someone asks me for a case study. Because services play out over time with many micro interactions across time it's hard to capture the entire thing in one case study. So why don't we take a different approach? What would happen if we tear a service apart and look at those smaller interactions rather than the entire thing? Would that help to identify best practices and elements of good service design? We'll that's exactly what Daniele Catalanotto did... and he turned the principles which he found into a book. This book is a much needed contribution to our field. It sort of shows very directly the outcome of good service design. Without bothering you with how that outcome came to be. Very different from the books on tools and methods or the ones that describe the high level strategic perspective. Daniele's book helps to solve one of the biggest challenges in our work... how to make tangible what service design is for. So how do you identify these principles? What should you look for? And what is it that you actually capture? Daniele shares his entire process in this episode. And let me tell you that something magical happens when you start noticing and collecting these principles. Your not only building a valuable resource library which you can easily reference later when you're looking for inspiration. Maybe the most important part is that you start training your mind to instinctively recognize the elements of a good (and bad) service design. This is as close to a superpower as you'll get. At least I :) Throughout the conversation we joke about having a "pinterest for services". Which actually might not be such a bad idea. --- [ GUIDE ] -— 00:00 Welcome to episode 107 01:40 Who is Dan 03:20 60 second rapid fire 05:40 Why talking about value matters 08:30 Feeling valued 09:30 The stigma around business 11:00 Object value pricing 13:15 The basis of value pricing 15:00 Creating alignment around a goal 18:10 What is important to you 19:10 The dangerous separation between business and design 21:00 Challenger sales 24:10 Setting a benchmark 27:00 Prototyping with numbers 29:45 Giving guarantees 31:40 Pricing experiments 35:20 When do you start charging 38:00 Do this in every sales conversation 40:45 Look for win-wins 42:30 Recommended resources 43:30 Get in touch with Dan 43:55 Final thoughts --- [ LINKS ] --- - https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielecatalanotto/ - Episode #91 with Daniele: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=br1j61UEDnA - The book: https://store.swissinnovation.academy/service-design-principles-101-200 - Service Design: From Insight to Implementation (book) - https://amzn.to/3cC37dn --- [ HOW TO EXPLAIN SERVICE DESIGN ] --- Learn what it takes to get your clients, colleagues, managers, CEOs and even grandmas as excited about service design as you are. https://servicedesignshow.com/free-course

Does it matter? Can you be a good service design professional without any formal training or background? Many people I know just started doing service design without having a diploma or certificate. That's how I started in this field as well. Mastering the craft on the job and figuring stuff out as they go along. They have, what I would call, practical wisdom. But this lack of formal education sometimes causes unnecessary doubt and prevents you from doing your best work. So should you get that service design degree after all? Well, Emily Winograd has had to answer this question for herself a few times. So I've invited Emily on the Show to share her story and the lessons she learned along the way with you. In this conversation you'll also hear about a simple framework. This framework helps you to uncover blind spots and learn about the strengths of your team members. If you ever had signs of imposter syndrome in your work make sure you listen to this episode as it offers some very helpful insights! I found Emily's story really encouraging for our field and hopefully you'll do as well. --- [ GUIDE ] -— 00:00 Welcome to the Show 03:00 Who is Emily 04:15 How to train your service designer 08:30 Stamp of approval 12:00 Imposter syndrome 14:30 The tension 17:30 The framework 22:45 Best practices 28:45 Roadblocks 32:00 Lessons learned 36:00 Closing thoughts --- [ CIRCLE ] -— Join our community of in-house service design professionals at the Circle. https://www.servicedesignshow.com/circle/