Service design is a holistic approach to design focused on creating, curating, implementing, and improving service experiences for both users and employees. Service design focuses on outcome over artifacts. It is doing the work to make services that are usable. Within the wider design practice there is crossover with UX Design and CX Design. While UX focusses on the experience of performing an action in an app, service design focusses on the entire experience of purchasing the phone the app is used on, customer support for that phone, etc. > “Service design improves the experiences of both the user and employee by designing, aligning, and optimizing an organization’s operations to better support customer journeys.” > > —[[Sarah Gibbons]], Nielsen Norman Group A service is something a person uses but does not own. For example, paying for a music service rather than purchasing a CD. Some example services include: - Software (as a service) - Government - Healthcare - Music streaming Service designer responsibilities: - Own entire host journey, creating a holistic vision across all touchpoints - Clearly communicate the vision and priorities of the experience - Build alignment across design, engineering, and research leads Things service designers create: - Service Blueprint - User Flow - [[Personas]] - User Research - Future-state Blueprints - Ecosystem Maps - Archetypes - Service Storming Service design focuses on three main components: - **People:** Anyone who directly uses—or is indirectly affected by—a service - Employees - Customers - Partners - **Props:** Physical and digital assets needed to ensure a successful service - Storefronts - Conference rooms - Websites - Digital files - **Processes:** Tasks, workflows, procedures, and rituals performed throughout a service - Getting support - Interviewing - Sharing a file These components are broken down into front-stage and backstage components: - **Front-stage components** are the [[Touchpoint]], [[Channel]], products, interfaces, and interactions visible to the customer. - E.g., Marketing, sign-up, emails, product interface, account management, support, etc. - **Backstage components** are the infrastructures, processes, technologies, systems, and policies. These are not visible to the customer but are very much *felt* by the customer. - E.g., API, UI patterns, content management, support agent process, tech stacks, etc. - Backstage processes have a major impact on the overall user experience. - Backstage problems have frontstage consequences. - **Behind the scenes:** guiding principles, internal constraints, regulations, legal requirements, organizational structures, and business culture. These are often not consciously designed, but directly impact the backstage. - E.g., Finance and pricing policies, lineup definitions, product roadmaps, leadership vision, competitive insights. Benefits of Service Design: - Bridge gaps in organizations - The experience of an org's employees are taken into account - Increase loyalty of customers and employees - Reduce redundancies by looking at the entire org - Map out the entire internal service process, providing a holistic view into ecosystem --- ## References [A primer on service design for UX designers](https://www.justinmind.com/blog/a-primer-on-service-design-for-ux-designers/) [Service Design - Design is Not Just for Products | Interaction Design Foundation (IxDF)](https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/article/service-design-design-is-not-just-for-products?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=sm)