Service Design Show

The answer was simple... "It gave me the opportunity to start doing things the way I really thought they should be done." That's what Todd Wilkens said when I asked him why he decided to take on a leadership role. I think that every service design professional out there wants to have more influence on the decisions that are being made. Because you are the one who is fighting to do the "right thing" for your users. Who can argue against that right? Well in reality it's not that easy. When you want more influence, moving into a leadership position is almost a must. But what does this even mean? And is it a career step that you should consider? In this episode Todd takes us along his transformational journey from being a design practitioner to becoming a design leader. You'll learn about the mistakes he made along the way and now is slowly recovering from. I have to admit that this is quite a unique perspective that hasn't been shared on the Show often. So if you're interested in having a greater influence on the decisions around you, this is an episode you definitely don't want to miss. What I took out of our conversations was how we should hold on tightly to the things that designers do really well. Especially when we move into a different role within the organisation. --- [ GUIDE ] -— 00:00 Welcome to episode 136 03:00 Who is Todd 04:45 60 second rapid fire 06:45 What's in store 08:45 Start of the journey 12:15 The opportunity 17:30 Making the jump 23:15 New responsibilities 28:00 Lessons learned 32:15 A better approach 39:30 Tradeoffs and compromises 42:45 What to look for 46:45 It will change you 48:15 The first step 51:15 Closing thoughts --- [ LINKS ] --- * https://www.linkedin.com/in/toddwilkens/ --- [ 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

Let's talk about rituals (and design)... Rituals have the power to turn an ordinary experience into something meaningful. They can be large and community based like a family reunion dinner. They can be small and personal like writing in your gratitude journal every morning. But what are rituals exactly? And how are they different from habits and routines? Adam Cochrane has been looking into the field of ritual design for a while. In this episode we explore the power of rituals as well as the potential dark side. We also discuss how you can bring rituals into your own design practice. Curious how to make the mundane meaningful again? Make sure you don't miss this conversation! --- [ GUIDE ] -— 00:00 Welcome to the Show 02:40 Who is Adam 04:00 What is ritual design 07:30 The opportunity 08:30 The back story 13:45 Your responsibility 17:00 The why of rituals 19:30 Key principles 24:00 Where to start 28:15 Lessons learned 31:30 Next steps 37:30 Circle reflection 40:30 Closing thoughts --- [ CIRCLE ] -— Join our community of in-house service design professionals at the Circle. https://www.servicedesignshow.com/circle/

Isn't it funny... Even though we live in a world which is dominated by services still many organisations have a very strong product mindset. And I get it (sort of). Products are tangible, easy to measure, perfect to manage. Everything a CEO wants right? Well, you as a service design professional know that product centric thinking is harmful. It creates silos, destroys the customer experience and in the end is bad for business. The reality is that product thinking isn't going to go away anytime soon. So this begs the question: How can you connect service design with "product people" inside an organisation and use each others strengths? Valeria Adani who's the head of service design at Frog has been faced many times with this challenge in her career. In this week's episode she shares her most important learnings around finding a common language, focussing on implementation and the pitfalls of oversimplification. When you take these lessons to heart I can guarantee that you'll be more impactful and do more rewarding work. Curious? Click the link below to learn more. Hope that you'll enjoy the conversation and get something helpful out of it! --- [ SALARY REPORT ] -— https://www.servicedesignjobs.com/salaryreport/ --- [ GUIDE ] -— 00:00 Welcome to episode 135 03:00 Who is Valeria 03:45 60 second rapid fire 06:00 The problem of a product centric mindset 09:15 Importance of language 11:45 Bridging the gap 17:45 Signs of success 23:00 The impact of design 26:15 Focus on implementation 33:00 We can't do it alone 36:00 Measuring the right things 37:30 Tips on getting started 41:45 Pitfalls of over simplification 46:45 The added value of service design 48:30 Final thoughts --- [ LINKS ] --- * https://www.linkedin.com/in/valeriaadani/ --- [ 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

As a service designer you never stop learning. But as you may have noticed already textbooks will only get you so far. Pretty quickly you'll want to discuss details and nuances of our practice that aren't easily captured in traditional literature. So how do you continue developing your skills once you reach that point? In the old days you would join a guild. The bakers, blacksmiths or brewers. Today these guilds are more commonly known as professional learning communities. These communities offer you the opportunity to learn from others, find support and provide the space to reflect on your work. But a community doesn't magically appear right in front of you. So in this episode you're going to hear how and where you can find a community where you feel at home. --- [ GUIDE ] -— 00:00 Welcome to the Show 03:00 Who is Natalie 04:15 What is a community 09:45 The limits of online 14:15 Growing through engagement 16:00 Starting a community 23:45 The importance of ownership 25:45 Longevity of communities 31:15 The catalysts 34:45 Enabling interaction 39:15 Trust and vulnerability 42:15 Deep versus wide 46:00 Closing thoughts --- [ CIRLCE ] -— Join our community our in-house service design professionals at the Circle. https://www.servicedesignshow.com/circle/

There is a clash... A clash between existing business logic and service design. For instance the focus on value extraction versus value creation. The difference in an open versus hierarchical workstyle. And the emphasis on statistical versus empirical evidence. If not dealt with in the right way, this clash creates tensions which prevents you from making a positive contribution through your work. The first step to effectively dealing with these tensions is recognizing that you're in a clash. Our guest in this week's episode Chris Ferguson calls these tensions double binds. And Chris has been doing some foundational research into this topic. You're going to learn about the most common double binds that he found through his research. If you stick around till the end of the episode you'll also walk away with some concrete examples on how you can neutralize these tensions. And if anything, at least you'll see these tensions coming and can prepare in advance :) --- [ GUIDE ] -— 00:00 Welcome to episode 134 02:00 Who is Chris 03:50 Question rapid fire round 06:00 Double binds 09:00 Traditional organisations 10:45 Work style tension 18:45 Transforming the organisation 23:15 Business model bind 30:15 Different cultures 35:15 Understanding belief systems 39:00 Learning from others 42:45 Finding your allies 52:30 Structuring projects 56:00 Final thoughts --- [ LINKS ] --- - https://www.linkedin.com/in/1christopherferguson/ - Razorblade Tears (book) - https://amzn.to/3lAXRfl - The Hard Thing About Hard Things (book) - https://amzn.to/3ADVqN4 - Design Thinking at Work (book) - https://amzn.to/3DAYYlb - Liminal thinking The pyramid of belief - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2G_h4mnAMJg - The Campfire - https://www.servicedesignshow.com/campfire/ --- [ 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

This week's episode of the Show is a pretty remarkable one. You're going to hear the story of how design has not only survived, but is actually thriving within one of the most challenging environments... a bank. Our guest in the episode is Alex Guazzelli. Alex is the head of design at the largest financial institution of Latin America and has been part of this journey from day one. Today he leads a team of over 250 designers but it all started with a two man operation. Of course the journey hasn't been without challenges. Not everything went according to plan. In this conversation Alex shares his lessons about making compromises, connecting design to business and working on the right projects. So if you're currently trying to get service design adopted in an organisation that doesn't have a strong design heritage, this episode will help you get there faster for sure! --- [ GUIDE ] -— 00:00 Welcome to episode 133 03:00 Who is Alex 04:00 60 second rapid fire 06:00 How it all started 12:00 Showing added value 19:00 Understanding the metrics 24:00 The right challenges 30:15 Connecting the dots 36:15 Changing the mindset 38:45 The evidence to say no 42:30 Own the responsibility 44:30 Lessons learned 49:15 Be prepared for the journey 54:45 The road ahead 58:15 Final thoughts --- [ LINKS ] --- * https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexander-angelo-guazzelli-b83b8221/ * One unbounded ocean of consciousness (book) - https://amzn.to/3CU3CdD --- [ COACHING CALL ] --- Book your free coaching call. https://servicedesignshow.com/coaching Use the secret phrase you heard in the episode!

Imagine that your organisation would fully embrace design? There would be much less friction between how you work and how the organisation operates. When you'd see an opportunity to improve something and make a positive contribution with your skills you could just go for it. Unless you're one of the lucky few, most service designers still need to fight hard to get support for their way of working. And think about it, there's a lot at stake here... Because when you fail to get proper support no one will listen, you won't be able to influence important decisions and eventually you'll become irrelevant. But if we play our cards right I'm actually quite optimistic that will not happen. What inspires hope in me is that designers are starting to understand organisations better and better. For instance we recently talked about organisational dark matter on the Show and how to influence that. In this episode we continue on that theme and talk about a pragmatic approach to organisational design. You'll learn how creating doubt, devising smart experiments and reframing challenges helps to get the buy-in from clients and stakeholders. The most powerful tools are sometimes right in front of you. This episode serves as a great reminder of that. --- [ GUIDE ] -— 00:00 Welcome to episode 132 05:00 Who is Frithjof 06:00 60 second rapid fire 09:45 Organisational design isn't new 14:00 Knowing the end at the start 19:00 Exploring what may be 24:30 What help clients make the leap 27:00 Doubt is your friend 30:15 Reframing the problem 39:00 How to coach clients 41:45 The role of experiments 47:30 Creating space for failure 54:00 Skills to make the transition 1:01:15 Final thoughts --- [ LINKS ] --- * https://twitter.com/frithjofthinks * https://www.linkedin.com/in/frithjofwegener/ * https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Frithjof-Wegener * https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=4-4TFXgAAAAJ&hl=en * Organizational Design webinar - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qv-hDbtmG30 * Touchpoint article - https://www.service-design-network.org/touchpoint/vol-11-no-3-service-design-and-change-management/tp11-3-going-from-service-design-to-organisational-designing PODCASTS * https://www.talkingaboutorganizations.com/ * https://www.tudelft.nl/io/delft-design-stories/out-of-the-blue BOOKS * https://www.terrypratchettbooks.com/book-series/discworld/ * https://naomistanford.com/books/ * https://www.sup.org/books/title/?id=1448 * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crime_and_Punishment --- [ 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

Okay, I know it sounds almost impossible but it really happened… A fellow service designer named Delia told me that she has crafted an elevator pitch for service design that is really effective for her. How effective? Well she used this pitch and it landed her a speaking opportunity on the first encounter with someone at a random networking event. Pretty amazing. ============ Build your own perfect elevator pitch! Join the upcoming cohort of our Selling Service Design with Confidence program. https://servicedesignshow.com/selling/ ============ The challenge with service design is that you need to find ways to explain it without overcomplicating or dumbing it down. This is definitely a skill. A skill you can master as well! So in this podcast episode of the Show you’re going to get practical tips that will help you to “sell” service design and get buy-in from internal stakeholders and external clients. If you ask me we, focus too much on the craft of service design and too little on how to get non-designers excited about it. But you really need to do both if you want to make impact… ============ Learn how to Sell Service Design with Confidence https://servicedesignshow.com/selling/ ============

If you're asking really good questions, you're going to get better results. This is a quote from the conversation with Warren Berger. Warren is the author of The Book of Beautiful Questions. Definitely one of my favorite books from 2021 that I'm sharing left and right. So I was really excited that Warren agreed to come on the Show and share his thoughts with us. Of course we address a lot of questions during this episode. Here are a few of my personal highlights: * How do we bring more and better questions into our own practice? * How can we build an appetite for questioning with our (business) leaders? * And how can we help people transition from only asking how questions to also ask the why questions? I think the challenge many service designers face is that companies see a conflict between asking better questions and getting things done. Well, if you find yourself in this kind of environment then this episode has tons of practical advice on how you can make progress. During the episode we announce a small contest where you get the chance to win a signed copy of Warren's book! So make sure you stick around till the end. Enjoy the conversation and keep asking better questions :) --- [ CONTEST ] --- You can win a signed copy of Warren's books! To participate in the contest leave a comment on this video where you share the name of the book to which The Book of Beautiful Questions is a follow up. The contest closes on September 16 2021 11:59pm (GMT) so make sure you submit your entry on time. If you're the lucky winner please make sure to respond to our message within 24 hours. When you fail to do so we'll pick a different winner. --- [ GUIDE ] -— 00:00 Welcome to episode 131 04:45 Who is Warren 08:15 60 second rapid fire 11:00 How it all started 17:30 What makes a question beautiful 25:00 Why should we care 27:45 What's currently missing 33:00 Brining questioning into design 39:00 Getting organisations to ask more questions 45:30 Questions have to be everywhere 51:30 What makes it so hard 56:00 From how to why questions 1:00:30 Make questioning part of your brand 1:02:45 Words of advice 1:04:00 Book giveaway contest 1:05:15 Final thoughts --- [ LINKS ] --- * https://amorebeautifulquestion.com/ * https://www.linkedin.com/in/warrenberger/ * Good Thinking (book) - https://amzn.to/3t98g3R * Humble Inquiry (book) - https://amzn.to/3gRqKkm * The Splendid and the Vile (book) - https://amzn.to/2WNsYKR --- [ SELLING SERVICE DESIGN ] --- Learn how to get buy-in from clients, managers & CEOs, into your work as a service designer without wearing a suit. >>> https://servicedesignshow.com/selling

Did you know that people are looking up to you? *** LEARN MORE ABOUT THE CIRCLE https://servicedesignshow.com/circle/ *** Sure, part of the identity of a service designer is to stay in the background, act as the facilitator and let co-creation guide the way forward. Humbleness could be our middle name. These are great traits that we definitly shouldn't lose but they aren't enough… Because when you're the only service designer in the room (or one of the few), people do look up to you for answers. They want you to show them the way forward. These are the moments that you *must* speak up and show leadership. If you don't, others will take over and you won't be able to influence important decisions. When you do that long enough you'll eventually lose hope and give up on the practice. Service design leadership is all about being able to build trust and give people in your organisation the confidence to embark on a journey. And as you know this is a journey with a lot of unknowns and uncertainty. But how do you develop your leadership skills? Without losing your service design identity. Well, in this episode you'll hear the conversation I had with James Field. James shares the best practices around effective service design leadership that emerged during our recent Circle session. We also discuss some harmful leadership misconceptions like the need to come up with detailed plans. And how these plans are likely working against you rather than helping you progress. So if you want to have more control and shape the future of service design within your organisation so that it can deliver on it's promise, this episode is packed with practical advice. I really feel that this is a key area for our field right now. An area where we can still make a lot of progress. Hope conversations like this make a positive contribution to this! *** LEARN MORE ABOUT THE CIRCLE https://servicedesignshow.com/circle/ ***