Design Methods for Developing Services

business challenge

An introduction to service design and a selection of service design tools

Design methods for developing services

Page 2

About thisdocument

Contents

About this document3 Aboutdesignandwhy

workwithadesigner4 Usingdesigntodevelop

greatservices

The double diamond design process6 Thedouble

diamondoverview8 Whattodoateachphase

Tools and methods11 Discoverphase16 Definephase19 Developphase22 Deliverphase

This is a brief introduction to why design methods can be useful when developing services.

If you’re new to service design: You can use it to familiarise yourself with a typical process that designers use when developing products and services.It will give you an idea of what toexpect from working with a designer.

If you’re a designer: You may be familiar with all of this already, but you may find thisdocument useful when explainingcommon service design methodsto others that are new to them.


Keeping Connected Business Challenge

About this document The double diamond design process Tools and methods

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About design

"Designiswhatlinkscreativityandinnovation.Itshapesideastobecomepracticalandattractivepropositionsforusersorcustomers.Designmaybedescribedascreativitydeployedtoaspecificend."—TheCoxReview

Designhasmanydifferentdefinitions,butatitsheartitisabouttheprocessoftranslatingideasintoreality,makingabstractthoughtstangibleandconcrete.

Whetherit’sforanewservice,apieceofgraphicsoraninnovativeproduct,anumberofkeyattributesunderpineverydesign-ledproject.ThesefundamentalsshouldinformtheresponsestotheKeepingConnectedBusinessChallenge,ensuringdesign-ledsolutionsthatenhanceindependentlivingandqualityoflifeforolderadults.

Why work with a designer?

User understanding

Designerslooktounderstandtheneedsanddesiresofthepeoplewhowilluseaproductorservicebyspendingtimewiththem.Thisapproachensuressolutionsarebothfitforpurposeanddesirabletothepeoplewhowillusethem.Byfocusingonhumanstoriesandinsightsdesignersbuildempathyforusers,andensureideasbeingdevelopedarerelevant.

Prototyping

Designersworkiterativelytotesttheirideasandimprovethemthroughouttheentiredevelopmentprocess.Makinganideatangiblefromanearlystagethroughcheapmock-upshelpssaveresourcesandcanminimiserisk.Prototypingcanbeappliedtobothproductsandservices,andallowsrealworldfeedbackfromusersthatensurebetter,morerelevantoutcomes.Itcanbequickandcheapandallowsasolutiontobeiteratedandimprovedbeforeitisrolledout.

A tool for collaboration

TheKeepingConnectedBusinessChallengeinvolvescollaborationbetweenmultidisciplinaryteams.Designersmakethingsvisualandtangible–theydrawpictures,theymakemodels;thisallowsthecomplexorambiguoustobemadesimpleandstraightforward.Doingthisallowsideastoberapidlycommunicatedandunderstood,whichinturnfosterscollaborationbetweendesigner,partnersandusers.




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Using design to develop great services

Servicedesignisallaboutmakingtheservicesweuseusable,easyanddesirable.

Servicesareallaroundus-buses,shops,libraries,dentists,restaurantsandthepostofficehelpusgettowork,getourfood,orkeepincontactwitheachother.

Aservicehappensovertimeandismadeupoftouchpoints–thepeople,information,productsandspacesthatweencounter.Forinstanceamenu,achairorawaitressarealltouchpointsthatmakeuparestaurantservice.

Servicedesignistheprocessofcreatingthesetouchpointsanddefininghowtheyinteractwitheachotherandwiththeuser.Todesignagreatserviceitisimportanttohaveserviceusersinmind:aretheystaff,suppliersorcustomers?Usingdesigntoolsandmethodscandeliveranin-depthunderstandingofuserbehaviours,theirlikesandtheirneeds,whichcanenablenewsolutionstobedeveloped.

Servicedesigncanbeusedtore-designanexistingservicetomakeitworkbetterforusers,oritcanbeusedtocreateanentirelynewservice.




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The double diamond design process



The double diamond design process Tools and methodsAbout this document

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Overview of the double diamond phases

1. Discover 2. Define 3. Develop 4. Deliver

The design process

Everydesignerhasaslightlydifferentapproachanddifferentdesignspecialismsalsohavetheirownwaysofworking,buttherearesomegeneralactivitiescommontoalldesigners.TheDesignCouncilhasdevelopedthe‘DoubleDiamond’modeltoillustratethis.

Dividedintofourdistinctphases:Discover,Define,DevelopandDeliver,itmapshowthedesignprocesspassesfrompointswherethinkingandpossibilitiesareasbroadaspossibletosituationswheretheyaredeliberatelynarroweddownandfocusedondistinctobjectives.

Tools and methods

OutlinedinthissectionaredesigntoolsandmethodsyoumightfindhelpfultouseaspartoftheKeepingConnectedBusinessChallenge.Itisnotadefinitivelist,butisincludedtohelpfamiliarisecollaboratorswithdesignwaysofworking.

Thesemethodsarenotrigidprotocolstobefollowedunthinkingly,butframeworksthatcanandshouldbeadaptedtothetaskathand.Someofthetoolsworkbestat‘bigpicture’thinkingwhileotherfocusonspecificprojectdetails.Balancingandlinkingthetwoisimportanttodevelopthebestoutcome.

Mosttoolsandmethodscanbeadaptedbyalteringthelevelofdetail,sketchingquicklyordevelopingin-depth,dependingontheoutcomesneededortimeandresourcesavailable.




Tools and methodsAbout this document

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The double diamond in more detail

Thestartofaprojectisaperiodofdiscovery,gatheringinspirationandinsights,identifyinguserneedsanddevelopinginitialideas.

Thefirstquarterofthedoublediamondmodelcoversthestartoftheproject.Designerstrytolookattheworldinafreshway,noticingnewthingsandseekinginspiration.Theygatherinsights,developinganopinionaboutwhattheysee,decidingwhatisnewandinteresting,andwhatwillinspirenewideas.Specificmethodsinclude:marketresearch,userresearch,managingandplanninganddesignresearchgroups.

1. Discover

Thesecondquarterrepresentsthedefinitionphase,inwhichdesignerstrytomakesenseofallthepossibilitiesidentifiedintheDiscoverphase.

Whichmattersmost?Whichshouldweactonfirst?Thegoalhereistodevelopaclearcreativebriefthatframesthefundamentaldesignchallengetotheorganisation.KeymethodsduringtheDefinephaseare:projectdevelopment,projectmanagementandprojectsign-off.

2. Define

Thethirdquartermarksaperiodofdevelopmentwheresolutionsarecreated,prototyped,testedanditerated.Thisprocessoftrialanderrorhelpsdesignerstoimproveandrefinetheirideas.

KeyactivitiesandobjectivesduringtheDevelopphaseare:brainstorming,prototyping,multi-disciplinaryworking,visualmanagement,developmentmethodsandtesting.

3. Develop

ThefinalquarterofthedoublediamondmodelistheDeliverphase,wheretheresultingproductorserviceisfinalisedandlaunched.Thekeyactivitiesandobjectivesduringthisstageare:finaltesting,approvalandlaunch,targets,evaluationandfeedbackloops.

4. Deliver



The double diamond design process

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1. The Discover phase

Objectives

•Identifytheproblem,opportunityorneedstobeaddressedthroughdesign

•Definethesolutionspace

•Buildarichknowledgeresourcewithinspirationandinsights.

Thebeginningofeverydesignprojectismarkedbyanexploratoryphasewhereinsightsandinspirationaregathered.ThisDiscoverphasecanbetriggeredinmanydifferentwayssuchassocialtrends,noveltechnology,thelaunchofacompetitorservice,orinthecaseoftheKeepingConnectedBusinessChallenge,afundingcall.

IntheDiscoverphasewebegintoidentifytheproblem,opportunityorneedtobeaddressedaswellasdefinesomeoftheboundariesofthesolutionspace.

Thisexplorationusesbothqualitativeandquantitativeresearchmethodsandcaninvolvebothdirectlyengagingwithendusersandanalysisofwidersocialandeconomictrends.Thisresearchbuildsarichbankofknowledgethatwillinformtherestofthedesignprocessandactasaguideandinspirationtothedesignteam.

2. The Define phase

Objectives

•AnalysetheoutputsoftheDiscoverphase

•Synthesisethefindingsintoareducednumberofopportunities

•Defineaclearbriefforsignoffbyallstakeholders.

TheinitialDiscoverphaseisaboutopeningoutandexploringthechallengetoidentifyproblemsandopportunities.TheDefinestagechannelsthesetowardsactionabletasks.

Themassofideasandfindingsareanalysedandstructuredintoareducedsetofproblemstatements.Thesearealignedwiththeorganisationalneedsandbusinessobjectivestoidentifywhichtotakeforward.TheDefinephaseresultsinacleardefinitionofthefundamentalchallengeorproblemtobeaddressedthroughadesign-ledproductorservice.

Tools & Methods

User Personas

Brainstorming

Design Brief

Tools & Methods

User Journey Mapping

User Diaries

Service Safari

User Shadowing




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3. The Develop phase

Objectives

• Developtheinitialbriefintoaproductorserviceforimplementation

• Designservicecomponentsindetailandaspartofaholisticexperience

• Iterativelytestconceptswithendusers.

TheDevelopphasetakestheinitialdesignbriefandthroughaniterativeprocessofdevelopingandtesting,refinestheproductorserviceconceptsuntiltheyarereadyforimplementation.Usingdesignandcreativetechniques,thedesignteamandpartnersdeveloptheindividualservicecomponentsindetailandensuretheselinktogethertoformaholisticexperience.

IntheDevelopphaseworkingiterativelyandtestingwithusersthroughouttheprocesshelpsensureamorerobustserviceandfocusestheteams’efforts.Thefinalproductorservicewillincorporatethisfeedbackandbereadyforimplementation.

Tools & Methods

Service Blueprinting

Experience Prototyping

Business Model Canvas

4. The Deliver phase

Objectives

• Takingproductorservicetolaunch

• Ensurecustomerfeedbackmechanismsareinplace

• Sharelessonsfromdevelopmentprocessbackintotheorganisation.

IntheDeliverphase,theproductorserviceislaunchedandbeginstoaddresstheneedsidentifiedintheDiscoverphase.

Thefinalconceptistakenthroughfinaltesting,finalisedandsignedoff.Itisimportanttoensuresystemsareinplacetocaptureuserfeedback,especiallyforservices.TheDeliverphaseisalsothepointtofeedbacklessonsfromtheprocesstocolleaguesandpartners,sharingnewknowledge,insighttools,orwaysofworking.

Tools & Methods

Scenarios




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Tools and methods

3. Develop

Design-ledsolutionsaredeveloped,

prototyped,testedanditerated.

Thisprocessoftrialanderrorhelps

designerstoimproveandrefine

theirideas.

4. Deliver

IntheDeliverphase,theproductorserviceistakenthroughfinaltesting,finalisedandlaunched.

1. Discover

Thestartofaprojectisaperiodofdiscovery,gatheringinspirationandinsights,identifyinguserneedsanddevelopinginitialideas.

2. Define

IntheDefinephaseideasaresynthesisedandalignedwithbusinessobjectives,creatingaclearbriefthatframesthedesignchallenge.

User JourneyMapping

User Diaries

ServiceSafari

UserShadowing

Brainstorming

DesignBrief

ServiceBlueprinting

ExperiencePrototyping

Business ModelCanvas

Scenarios

UserPersonas



Tools and methodsThe double diamond design processAbout this document

Aims

• Identifythekeyelementsofaservice

• Understandthelinksbetweenallthedifferentelementsovertime

• Identifyproblemareasinaserviceorareaswherenewthingscanbeadded

• Createempathywithdifferenttypesofusers.

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Tools and methods


What is it?

AUserJourneyMapisavisualrepresentationofauser’sjourneythroughaservice,showingallthedifferentinteractionstheyhave.Thisallowsustoseewhatpartsoftheserviceworkfortheuser(magicmoments)andwhatpartsmightneedimproving(painpoints).AUserJourneyMaptakestheuser’spointofviewandexplainstheiractualexperienceoftheservice.

How can I do this myself?

UserJourneyMappingdrawsontheoutputsofdesignresearchmethodssuchasobservationorservicesafaris.Thesegroundthejourneymapinrealuserexperiencesratherthananabstractnotionofhowtheserviceworks.Mapauser’sprogressthroughtheservice,beginningwithwhentheyfirstbecomeawareoftheservicethroughtowhentheyleave.Indoingthisthedifferentactivitiesoftheuserjourneyaredefined,withrelatedtasksgroupedtogetherinkeystages,suchas‘sign-up’or‘payment’.

Identifytheindividualtouchpointswitheachstage–thepeople,information,productsandspacesencountered–areidentified.Linksorgapsbetweentouchpointswillrevealthemselvesasthemapisdeveloped.

Togetaholisticviewofauser’sexperienceitcanbeusefultoworkincross-functionalteams.Someservicesmighthavedifferenttypesofusers,withdifferentexperiences,andrequiremultiplejourneys.

What are the outputs?

AUserJourneyMapisavisualmapordiagram,identifyingthekeystages,touchpointsandothercomponentsthatmakeupauser’sserviceexperience.

Thejourneymapmightcontainphotographs,illustrationsandquotestobringittolife.Itmayalsohaveanadditionallayerofexplanationthatidentifiesproblemareasoropportunities.

Seepage12foranexampleofaUserJourneyMap.




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Tools and methods


Journey chart example for a mobile phone service

AwareTouchpoints Join Use Leave

BobSeesadvertfornewphoneonTV–isinterestedbythehighqualitycamera.

BobOnhislunchbreakwalksintoWalk&Talkmobilephonestore.Isgreetedbyashopassistantwhoanswersallhisquestions.

BobHavingseenthephonehewantedinstore,hegoesonlinetogetabetterdeal.Findsthewebsitehardtonavigate.

BobAfterayearhereceivesanewphoneinthepostaspartofhiscontract.Findsitveryeasytoswitchhiscontactsovertonewphone.

HelenSeesanadvertwhilstpassingashopwindowandlikesthesoundofthepayasyougodeal.

HelenPhonesthemobilephonecompanyandordersthephoneshesaw.Spendsanhourwaitinginaqueue.

HelenReceiveshernewphoneinthepost2dayslater.Hastotakeahalfdayoffworktomakesureshedoesn’tmissthedelivery.

HelenCancelshercontractonlineaftertwoyears.Findsitsurpisinglyeasytodo.

Television

Online

Shop

Phone

Post

SHOP




Aims

• Gatherinformationaboutrealuserneeds

• Getunderstandingandempathyaboutotherpeople’sexperiences

• Getasenseofauser’slifeoveralongerperiodoftime.

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Tools and methods

User Diary

What is it?

UserDiariesareamethodforgatheringin-depthqualitativeinformationfromusersbygivingthemawayofrecordingawayfromresearchers.Itallowspeopletotellabouttheirownlivesintheirowntime,andexplainwhattheydooveranumberofdaysorweeks.UserDiariescanberealisedinmanydifferentformatsbutusuallyconsistofsomepersonalbackgroundinformationanda‘diary’styleformatforcapturinginformationovertime.

Thisbasicinformationcanbesupplementedwithadditionalquestionsortasks.Sometimescamerasorotherdocumentationequipmentisprovidedtogathervisualfeedbackforresearchers.


ThekeytogoodUserDiaries,aswithallqualitativeresearch,isidentifyingthecorrectpeopletotakepart.Ingeneral,arelativelysmallgroupissufficient;theaimistogetrichinformationandinsightstodrivethedesignprocess,ratherthanquantitativeanswers.UserDiariesarecreatedbasedonthecontextoftheprojectandneedsofthedesignteam.Thediaryperiodcanvaryfromafewhourstoanumberofmonthsandagainisdependentontheindividualproject.

IngeneralUserDiariesconsistofthreemainsections.

• Backgroundinformationthatcoversname,age,occupation,location,family,hobbies&interests,likes&dislikes.Thishelpstogivesomeunderstandingoftheperson

• ADiarysectionforuserstocompleteoveraperiodoftime–justlikeadiary.Thisshouldhaveanumberofpromptsorquestionstoprovidesomestructure.Itmightusephotographyorvideotodocument

• Additionalquestionsandtasksthatprovidestimulustouserstogainmoreinsightfromthemonparticulartopics.


CompletedUserDiariessupplyrichqualitativeinformationonasetofusersovertime.Theymightincludevideoandphotographsaswellaswrittendescriptions.

UserDiarieshelpidentifyimportantuserneedsandinsightsandprovideinspirationtodesignteams.




Aims

• Gatherinformationaboutaserviceintherealworld

• Identifywhatmakesforagoodserviceexperienceacrossmanydifferentservicetypes.

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Tools and methods

Service Safari

What is it?

AServiceSafariisaresearchmethodforunderstandingservices.Researchersgo‘onlocation’andexperienceaservicefirsthandtofindoutwhatserviceexperiencesarelike.

AServiceSafarimightbefocusedonaparticularservice(likegoingtoTesco),ortypeofservices(likegoingtoasupermarket).Alternativelyitmightlookatawiderrangeofservicestogetanideaaboutwhatmakesapositiveserviceexperience(likeserviceswhereIcanbuyfood).


ServiceSafarisareausefulexerciseatthebeginningofadesignprocess.Theyhelpeveryonegainarichunderstandingofservicesandarerelativelyeasytostructure.Thekeytoagoodservicesafariistoidentifyrelevant,engagingservicesthatrevealinsightsandprovideinspirationtothedesignteam.Eachparticipantshouldrecordtheirexperienceinwriting,orbyusingvideoandphotography.Engagingwithaservice,observingstaff,lookingatusersanddocumentingtheenvironmentandmaterials,helpsparticipantsidentifyhowservicesdelivervaluetocustomers.

AServiceSafaricanbesomewhathaphazardsoinalargegroupassigningrolesisanoption.Throughsharingtheirexperiencestheteamcanbuildacollectiveunderstandingandbegintodefinewhatmakesagreatserviceexperience.


TheoutputofaServiceSafariissomewrittenorvisualrecordoftheeventandmightincludephotographs,drawingsorvideo.

Moreimportantistheexperienceitself,ServiceSafarishelpteammemberstuneintoservicetouchpointsandexperiences,andinterrogatetheseinnewways.




Aims

• Gatherinformationaboutrealuserneeds

• Getunderstandingandempathyaboutotherpeople’sexperiences

• Understandthedifferentpartsofaservicesuchasstaging,interactionsandtouchpoints

• Identifyingbarriersandopportunitiesforserviceinnovation.

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Tools and methods

User Shadowing

What is it?

Shadowingisaresearchmethodforunderstandinghowpeopleinteractwiththeworldaroundthem(includingservices).Itinvolvesobservingauserdirectlytoidentifyandunderstandtheirneeds.

Researchersfollowaparticularpersonastheygoabouttheirlivesoruseaserviceanddocumentwhathappensinanunobtrusiveway.


Timeshouldbespentidentifyingthecorrectpeopletoshadow.Ingeneral,arelativelysmallgroupissufficientastheaimistogetrichinformationandinsightstodrivethedesignprocess.Shadowinginvolvesspendingtimewiththepersonoveranumberofhoursordaysandobservingwhattheyaredoingandwhy.Thismighttakeplaceinonesessionoroveranumberofdifferentsessions,andisdoneasunobtrusivelyaspossible.

Gettingimmersedinaperson’slifehelpsidentifythebarriersandopportunitiestheyencounter,eventhosetheuserisnotexplicitlyawareof.Itallowstheresearchertodeveloprealunderstandingofserviceinteractions,andseethedifferencesbetweenwhatpeoplesayandwhattheydo.


Theoutputisingeneralwrittendocumentationwithsupportingvisualmaterialssuchasphotographs,drawingsorvideocapturedduringtheshadowingsession.

Thesematerials,observationsandinsightsprovideinputintotheDefinephaseofthedesignprocess.




Aims

• Packageuserresearchintoaneasytounderstandformat

• MaintainfocusontheneedsofusersduringtheDevelopstage

• Testandevaluateideasandserviceconceptsagainsttheseneeds.

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Tools and methods

User Personas

What is it?

AUserPersonaisacharacterthatembodiesuserresearchinaneasilyidentifiableandunderstandableform.Itbringstogetherlotsofinformationaboutsimilarpeopletocreateasinglecharacterthatrepresentsthegroup.Personasarenormallycreatedasaset,showingdifferenttypesofuserswithdifferentneeds.Userpersonascanbecommunicatedinawidevarietyofformatsbutarenormallyacombinationofimagesandtext.APersonacancoverinformationsuchasname,age,occupation,wheretheylive,family,hobbies&interests,likes&dislikes,andmostimportantlyneeds.


Userpersonascanbecreatedwithvaryinglevelsofdetail.Quicklysketchedinaworkshoptheyprovideusefulinputintobrainstormingandideationtasks.MoredetailedPersonasarevaluableinsynthesisingandsharinglargebodiesofuserresearch,aswellastestingearlystageconcepts.WhilePersonascanbecreatedwithoutdrawingonuserresearch,theirvalueandusefulnessgreatlyincreasesifbuiltonqualitativeinformation.SegmentationofuserdatahelpsstructureresearchandindentifykeyPersonas.

Personasshouldbemadeasroundedaspossible;theyarearchetypes,notstereotypes.Theycanbefurtherenhancedthroughvisualmaterialsorsupportedwithquotes,thatreflectthequalitativeresearchandfeelauthentic.


Userpersonascanvaryintermsofoutputandfinish.Attheirmostbasictheymightconsistofasketchwithkeyuserinformation,supplementedwithphotographsorillustrations.Detailedpersonasmightbecommunicatedthroughin-depthreports,visualmaterials,diariesorthroughvideo.

PersonasareausefulguideintheDevelopphaseofthedesignprocessandhelpmaintainfocusanddelivervaluetousers.




Aims

• Generatealargenumberofpotentialideas

• Identifykeyideastodevelopfurther

• Createasharedunderstandingofpotentialopportunitiesaroundatopicortheme.

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Tools and methods

Brainstorming

What is it?

Brainstormingandotherideationtechniquesareusedtogeneratealternativesolutionsandopportunitiesquickly.Theyidentifythemostinterestingorimportantideastotakeforwardaspartofthedesignprocess.

Brainstormingisparticularlyusefultobreakoutofestablishedpatternsofthinking,anddevelopnewwaysoflookingatthings.Italsohelpsovercomemanyoftheissuesthatcanmakegroupproblemsolvingadifficultorunsatisfactoryprocess.


Therearealargenumberofbrainstormingandideationtechniquesavailable.Ingeneral,afacilitatorstructuresthegroupsessionandensuresarichdiscussion.Insuccessfulbrainstormsitisimportantnottohavetoomanypeopleorcarryontoolong(nomorethan12peopleforlongerthananhour).

Involvingarangeofdifferentpeoplewithdiverseskillsandperspectivesisimportant.Thisincreasestherichnessofideasexploredandbuildsbuy-infromteammembers.Itcanbeusefultohaveseveralsessions,lookingatdifferentsub-themesortopics,orhavemultiplegroupsworkonthesametopic.Capturingideasinavisiblewayallowseveryonetoseeprogressandensuretheconversationstaysfocused.

Whilebrainstormingandideationtechniquesarealldifferent,thesearesomegoodrulestoremember.

• Deferjudgement

• Buildontheideasofothers

• Focusonthetopic

• Oneconversationatatime

• Encouragewildideas.


Brainstormingandotherideationtechniqueswillresultinalargevolumeofideasaroundaparticulartopic.Thesearethenreduceddowntoanumberofkeyideastobedevelopedfurther.




Aims

• Definetheproblemorchallengetobeaddressed

• ProvideareferencepointfordesigningintheDevelopphase

• ProvideaplanfortheDevelopphase.

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Tools and methods

Design Brief

What is it?

ADesignBriefisacleardefinitionofthefundamentalchallengeorproblemtobeaddressedthroughadesign-ledproductorservice.

Itisastructuredstatementthatoutlinesgoals,constraints,budgetsandtimelines.Itcommunicatesprojectoutcomes,identifiespotentialrisksandhighlightshowthesewillbemitigated.


Adesignbriefisusuallydevelopedbytheprojectmanageroradesignmanagementprofessional.ItsynthesisescurrentprojectknowledgefromtheDiscoverandDefinephasesandoutlinesnextsteps.

AgoodDesignBriefshouldbewrittenineasilyunderstoodlanguage,providecleardirection,butavoidbeingoverlyrigidinspecifyingdetaileddesignwork.

ADesignBriefallowsforformalsignoffbyprojectsponsorsandsetstheboundariesoftherestoftheservicedevelopmentprocess.


ADesignBriefisusuallyaformalwrittendocument,whichmaybesupplementedbyuserresearchdataandotherbackgroundmaterials.

TheDesignBriefformsacorereferencepointforallstakeholdersintheDevelopandDeliverphasesofthedesignprocess.




Aims

• Designandproblemsolvethecompleteserviceexperience

• Provideguidancewhenidentifyingareastoprototype

• Communicatetheservicetothepeopledeliveringit,aswellastousersduringtesting.

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Tools and methods

Service Blueprint

What is it?

AServiceBlueprintisadetailedvisualrepresentationofthetotalserviceovertime-showingtheuser’sjourney,allthedifferenttouchpointsandchannels,aswellasthebehindthescenespartsofaservicethatmakeitwork.

AServiceBlueprinthelpseveryoneinvolvedindeliveringtheserviceunderstandtheirroleandensuretheuserhasacoherentexperience.


AServiceBlueprintpullsconceptsandtouchpointsindevelopmenttogetherintoaunifiedstructureandprovidesaholisticviewoftheallserviceelements.AServiceBlueprintoftenlookssimilartoaUserJourneyMap(seepage12).Thedifferenceisthatitmapsthefutureservice,nottheexisting.

Initiallymapauser’sprogressthroughdifferentservicestages,rangingfromawareness,touse,throughtoleavingtheservice.Indoingthisidentifytouchpointencountered.Thesetouchpointseachcanbesegmentedintodifferentchannelssuchasface-to-faceorweb.

Thecustomerorientedelementsofaserviceareknownasthe‘frontstage’.Identifyandmaptouchpointsandprocessesthatneedtohappenbehindthescenesforthe‘frontstage’parttowork.Thesemightincludebackofficestaff,logisticssystems,orITinfrastructure.Thisisknownasthe‘backstage’partoftheservice.AServiceBlueprintallowsyoutoseetheinteractionbetweenthefrontandbackstages,ensuringlinksanddependenciesbetweendifferentserviceelementsarecoherent.

Someservicesmighthavearangeofdifferentofferingsandrequiremultipleblueprints.IndevelopingaServiceBlueprintitcanbeusefultoworkinteams,andcarryoutaninitialpassbeforedevelopingindetail.


AServiceBlueprintisavisualmapordiagramidentifyingthekeystages,touchpointsandothercomponentsthatmakeupaservice.

Thiscombinationoftextandgraphicsmaybesupportedwithphotosorillustrations,showingparticulartouchpointsinmoredetailorofferingadditionalexplanation.Dependingoncomplexity,aserviceblueprintmaycontainakeytomakeitunderstandable.




Aims

• Designandtestspecifictouchpointsorinteractions

• Findoutwhetherpartsoftheservicemeetusers’needsandhowtheycanbeimproved

• Communicatethebenefitsandexperiencestheservicewilldelivertostakeholders,includingdecision-makers,frontlinestaff,partnersandusers

• Gatherfeedbackfrompotentialusers.

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Tools and methods

Experience Prototyping

What is it?

ExperiencePrototypingisawayoftestingnewserviceideasordesignsforspecifictouchpoints.

ExperiencePrototypesareaboutcommunicatingwhattheexperiencewillbelikeandallowthedesignteamtotestandrefinetheirsolutionswithpotentialusers.Theyalsohelpbuildbuy-infrompartnersandotherstakeholders.

Makingprototypes‘early,ugly&often’isimportantinthedesignprocess.ExperiencePrototypesdon’tneedtoberefinedortakealongtimetomake,itismoreimportanttocreatesomethingquickly,testit,andtheniteratethedesign.Theycanvaryfrompapersketches,toaphysicalmodel,toafullyactedoutservice.


ExperiencePrototypingisusedtotestideasandgatherfeedbackonpotentialdesignsolutions.

TherearelotsofdifferentmethodsforExperiencePrototyping–somesuchasbodystormingandroleplayemphasiseactingoutaserviceexperience.Othersfocusoncreatingmock-upsofproductsorenvironments.Generally,mostExperiencePrototypescombinephysicalmock-upsandsomeelementsofrole-playtorecreatetheserviceexperience.

Thisrecreationmightbeactedout,ordocumentedthroughphotographyorvideo.Thestyleandlevelofdetailcanvaryfromveryroughtorealistic‘archeologyofthefuture’.

AnimportantpartofExperiencePrototypingisgatheringfeedback.Testingshouldideallyhappenwithpotentialusersoftheserviceandmaytakeplaceoveranumberofhours,daysorweeks.Unlikeapilotthegoalistolearnquicklyanditeratearevisedsolution.


ExperiencePrototypesshouldresultinanumberofphysicalmock-upsoftouchpoints,anumberofinteractionsrecreatedinsomewayoracombinationofboth.

DocumentationofExperiencePrototypingthroughvideoorphotographyisusefulincommunicatingtheinsightslearned.Thisallowstheusertestingandfeedbacktobesharedwithinthedesignteamandwithotherstakeholders.




Aims

• Designandtestspecifictouchpointsorinteractions

• Findoutwhetherpartsoftheservicemeetusers’needsandhowtheycanbeimproved

• Communicatethebenefitsandexperiencestheservicewilldelivertostakeholders,includingdecision-makers,frontlinestaff,partnersandusers

• Gatherfeedbackfrompotentialusers.

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CustomerRelationships

KeyActivities

Tools and methods

Business Model Canvas

What is it?

TheBusinessModelCanvasisavisualtoolfordescribinganddevelopingbusinessmodels.CreatedbyAlexOsterwalderandpopularisedinhisbookBusinessModelGeneration,itcanbeappliedtobothnewandexistingservices.

Key Partners

Cost Structure Revenue Streams

Key Resources

ValueProposition

Channels

CustomerSegments

Floursupplier

Deliverycompany

Localtrainingcollege

People,Ingredients,Marketing Customerpurchases,retainerwithcafes

PersonalisedInexpensivefishcakeseveryday

Cakeshop

Deliveryvan

Massmarket

Localcafeswithin20km

Flourandsugar

Recipes

Bakers

Banking

Developingnewrecipes


IntheDeliverphasetheBusinessModelCanvasprovidesanimportantreferenceforimplementation–helpingtranslateserviceconceptsintobusinessprocesses.Itcanalsobeusedatdifferentpointsinthedesignprocess;intheDiscoverphasetoexplorecurrentofferings,orintheDevelopphasetotestviabilityofnewbusinessmodelsindevelopment.Thecanvasisusuallyfilledinasacollaborativeexerciseduringaworkshop,documentingthevariousaspectsofabusinessthroughnine‘buildingblocks’.Someofthesecomponentsmayhavealreadybeenidentifiedthroughouttheservicedesignprocess,suchascustomersegments,channelsandthevalueproposition.Otherswillneedfurtherdevelopment.Thecanvascanbeusedindifferentways,dependingonthelevelofdepthrequired.Itcanbeaquicksketchtodevelopinitialunderstandingofabusinessmodelorusedinanin-depthexercisetofinetuneparticularaspectsofaservice.


Theoutputisavisualrepresentationoftheentirebusinessmodelwithallofthekeybuildingblocksrepresented.Thecompletedcanvasprovidesahighlevelblueprintforabusiness,includingitscustomerfocused,internaloperationalandfinancialelements.




Aims

• Createsharedunderstandingofapotentialfutureserviceorsituation

• Describingausecaseofaparticularserviceindevelopment

• Creatingafuturevisionbasedonimportantdriverstosupportdecision-making.

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Tools and methods

Design Scenarios

What is it?

Designscenariosarestoriesofafuturesituationorservice.

Bycreatingaconcretestoryaboutapotentialfuture,orsetoffutures,DesignScenarioshelpcreatesharedunderstandingandenablemeaningfuldiscussion.

WhileScenariosareusedasatoolacrossstrategyandmanagementdisciplines,withinservicedesigntheyaremostlyusedascommunicationstoolsandemphasisestorytellingandnarrative.


DesignScenarioscanbeusedinanumberofdifferentwaysandatdifferenttimesoftheservicedesignprocess.

ScenarioscanbeusedintheDeliverphasetocommunicatepreferredoutcomestostakeholders,helpingthemunderstandandbuyintotheservicevision.TheycanalsobeusedasinspirationintheDiscoverphaseofprojects–creatingimaginedfuturestoinspireandinformdecision-making.IntheDevelopphasetheyareusedtocommunicatetopartnersandtest‘usecases’inawidercontext.

DesignScenariosarebestdevelopedbysmallteams,drawingonarangeofinputsandexpertisetomakethemasrobustaspossible.Creatingastorythroughthescenario(perhapsusingapreviouslydevelopedpersona)helpstomakeitaccessibleandengaging.


Scenariosmaytextoutputsorimageoutputs,oracombinationofboth.Theymightberealisedasacomicstriporafilm,dependingonthelevelofresourcesavailable.DesignScenariosshouldcreateacompellingstorythatcommunicatespotentialfuturesinanengagingway.




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Find out more about the challenge

Thefollowingdocumentsprovideinformationaboutthechallenge:

• Callforentries–thekeydocument,informationabouteverythingyouneedtoknowaboutenteringtheKeepingConnectedBusinessChallenge

• Foodforthought–Somematerialtoprovoke,inspireandstimulatethinkingabout‘keepingconnected’

• Howwegothere–findoutabouthowwegothereandourKeepingConnectedschoolsproject

• Designmethodsfordevelopingservices–anintroductiontoservicedesignandaselectionofservicedesigntools

For any queries please contact the Keeping Connected project team

Ursula Davies, Programme Manager, Design Council

[email protected]

Kelly Wilson, Assistant Programme Manager, Design Council

[email protected]

Find out more about the Technology Strategy Board and Design Council

TheKeepingConnectedBusinessChallengeispartoftheIndependenceMattersprogramme,ajointinitiativerunbytheTechnologyStrategyBoardandtheDesignCouncil.

TheTechnologyStrategyBoardistheUK’snationalinnovationagency.Itsgoalistoaccelerateeconomicgrowthbystimulatingandsupportingbusiness-ledinnovation.

www.innovateuk.org

TheDesignCouncilisaregisteredcharitywhoseroleistoplacegooddesignattheheartofsocialandeconomicrenewal.Weprovideevidenceanddemonstratehowdesigncanhelpbuildastrongereconomyandimproveeverydaylifethroughpracticalprojectswithindustry,publicservicesandeducation.

www.designcouncil.org.uk



http://www.innovateuk.org

www.designcouncil.org.uk

Documents

Design Methods for Developing Services