Innovator brands and service design

Innovator brands use service designers because they know that every aspect of their business – the things their customers experience and the systems that deliver them – have a part to play in customer satisfaction. And they’ve realised that service design projects are a fast, effective and manageable way to explore these interrelationships and to specify improvements.

Of course service designers aren’t the only people that contribute to developing services - but we do have skills that our clients value uniquely. Service designers are trained to design things that people use. We have a deep and intuitive understanding of how to make things work well and be desirable. We’re trained to be creative so we spot opportunities that formal research and analysis are slow to reveal. But most importantly, we’re able to conceive, test and develop ideas rapidly with the users of the service and the people who will help to provide it.


How is service design different to traditional design?

Our main point of difference is the focus of our work. Traditional designers imagine, shape and then implement the development of specific touchpoints towards a brief defined by their client. We, on the other hand, focus on defining service opportunities and shaping the role that these touchpoints play in delivering a service experience and on how these are supported by internal organisational systems and processes.

For another metaphor think of film making. Traditional designers specialise in designing the sets, costumes, music, lighting and props. We’re more the scriptwriters, producers and directors. You need both sets of specialists to have a blockbuster!

Of course large brand, advertising and strategic marketing agencies say they do this too, but they often want to do it their way and not yours – and it always costs a lot. So our other point of difference is that we’re agile and fast, and because we’re small, we’re less expensive too.