Light hearted conversations with the people that are shaping Service Design field discussing the current state of the industry, exciting new developments and challenges up ahead.
It's time to continue our journey...In episode 1 of the Journey Management Playbook we pinpointed a key business challenge that we want to tackle. The focus of episode 2 was all about gathering qualitative and quantitative data to understand the 'what' and the 'why'.But now comes the big question: How do you transform all that valuable material into clear insights and identify the opportunities that will actually make a tangible impact, fast? Where should you even start to make sense of it all and prioritize your efforts?This is where the rubber meets the road, and it's exactly what we address in episode 3. We're diving into the crucial first steps of structuring and scoping. Just like in the past episodes, we're joined again by Tingting Lin from TheyDo, who shows us how to take our raw data and, with AI as our powerful co-pilot, quickly generate an initial, structured journey map.This episode helps you understand how to:Take your raw qualitative data (like survey responses or interview notes) and use AI to generate an initial, structured customer journey mapBegin making sense of AI-generated insights by understanding different insight types and how to initially prioritize them.Enrich an existing journey structure with new data using AI, effectively showing how to augment prior work with fresh insights.Our goal with this whole series is to help you use journey management to make tangible impact faster, and as you'll see AI is a great tool to accelerate this process.Important Note: This episode features a lot of screen sharing as we build a journey live inside TheyDo. So to get the most out of it, I highly recommend watching the video version on YouTube or having the accompanying slides (link in the show notes) handy if you're listening to the podcast edition.Enjoy and keep driving that positive change.~ Marc[ RESOURCES ]Playbook Slides - https://go.servicedesignshow.com/0nz_4Sign up for TheyDo - https://www.theydo.com[ GUIDE ]00:00 Episode 3: What to Expect02:30 Introducing Theydo & Tingting's06:00 The Big Picture07:30 Episode 2 Recap08:30 Offboarding Sources09:30 The Goodbye Email Data12:00 Working with Unstructured Data13:30 Miro Board: Structuring Insights14:30 First Step in Journey Management15:00 Generating a Journey with AI18:00 Starting a New Journey in Theydo20:00 AI-Generated Journey from Scratch23:00 Enriching an Existing Journey31:00 Blank Slate36:00 Collaborating with AI: Verifying Insights42:00 Check Mapped Insights46:00 Workspace Insights Overview49:00 3 Ways Prioritizing Verification50:00 Prioritizing with Pain, Gain & Observations51:30 Starting with Pain Points1:04:00 Bonus Questions from Previous Episode[ RSS LINKS ]
Why does doing good service design often feel like an uphill battle...Okay, I'm on a mission this year to find the best recipe for BBQ Chicken Wings (recommendations are welcome, by the way).Over the weekend, I was experimenting with a new one (I'd give it an 8.5/10), and then it struck me.I can have the most delicious recipe, but if my guests turn out to be vegetarian, we spontaneously decide to go out for dinner, or the kids are just tired of eating chicken again, it won't matter. No one will appreciate my tasty chicken wings, no matter how hard I try.And obviously, the problem isn't with the recipe itself.Well, you might be surprised how often this exact scenario plays out in our work in service design.We pour our hearts and souls into crafting solutions that should create a positive impact on users and our organizations. Yet, somehow, a lot (maybe most?) of these well-designed solutions never actually see the light of day.Is it because they are bad solutions? Assuming you know what you're doing, most likely not.So, there must be something else going on. Are there other critical success factors (like knowing your guests are vegetarian) that we tend to overlook when we're so focused on perfecting the "recipe"?It turns out there are (which probably isn't a huge surprise to many of us).So what are these other success factors? And most importantly, how do we understand them and maybe even turn them in our favour?That's what we discuss in this episode with our returning guest, Brad Alphonso.Brad has led numerous service design initiatives from the initial idea all the way through to implementation inside a large, regulated, and pretty complex organization. He's open about the fact that not all of these initiatives had the impact he hoped for, but over the years, his success rate has gone up significantly.In this episode, we look back and reflect: Was it luck? Was there a magic breakthrough, or did the 'game' itself change somehow for him?So if you want to move the needle with your work, instead of it feeling like a constant struggle, this episode offers important clues – around understanding your organisation's real momentum and how decisions actually get made – that could help you navigate much more effectively.This conversation made me reflect on the fact that I see so many talented service design "players" out there. And I do wonder how many of us are, at times, playing the wrong game... let's try not to be that person.Keep making a positive impact!Take care,~ Marc--- [ 1. GUIDE ] --- 00:00 Welcome to Episode 22804:00 Brad's hopes for the conversation06:00 Challenges in Brad's role09:30 Business challenges11:00 What gives teams headaches13:00 Service design definition15:00 Current operating systems20:30 Importance of service design24:45 Problem ownership27:00 Alternative O.S. for solving wicked problems30:00 Types of tools used32:00 Strategy document examples33:00 Three questions to ask your CFO34:30 What is "good enough"?36:30 Observing changes in your work39:45 Tools for clarifying the operating system42:00 Avoiding naivety45:00 Winning the 'game' as a toolkit 47:00 What are we missing?49:00 Obvious next steps - idea to inception53:00 Why some projects fail55:00 Pitfall perspective - pre-mortem activity56:30 Summary of the Alternative O.S.58:00 Question to ponder --- [ 2. LINKS ] --- https://www.linkedin.com/in/brad-alphonso --- [ 3. CIRCLE ] --- Join our private community for in-house service design professionals. https://servicedesignshow.com/circle
Are they lying to us...You often hear people say that driving change as an in-house service design professional often feels less like a sprint and more like a marathon, right?But let's be honest, that's not quite true.In reality, it's more like running an ultra-marathon (and some more).We all know that "tangible" progress in service design can sometimes feel slow and far removed.Often, the real challenge isn't about which tools, methods, or frameworks you use.It's about keeping your internal flame burning and maintaining momentum inside the organization, especially when things get tough.But here's the good news: some professionals have found ways to play the long game successfully.So, how do you sustain your energy, passion, and impact when the work feels like a long-distance race (without a clear path and unknown finish line)? That's what this new episode is all about.It's part of our new series where we dive into the actual, unpolished practice of in-house service design.For this conversation, I was joined by two experienced professionals, Linn Jansson and James Field.They are both deep in the daily realities of this work and truly get what the "in-house marathon" feels like.Linn and James share some honest insights – not just about their diverse journeys into service design, but specifically about how they navigate these long-term challenges and, crucially, how they keep their motivation high.In this episode, you'll discover where they find their 'fuel', including:The power of supportive teams and communities.The importance of recognizing those small (but mighty!) wins.How they've learned to see and appreciate the long-term shifts they are making, even when it's tough to notice day-to-day.So, if you're looking for some encouragement, practical perspectives on resilience, or simply the reassurance that you're not running this marathon alone, I think you'll get a lot from this episode.And on that note, I'm curious: What keeps you motivated when you're deep in the in-house design marathon? Hit reply and let me know.Enjoy the conversation and keep making a positive impact!Take care,~ Marc--- [ 1. GUIDE ] --- 00:00 In-house Service Design Realities03:30 Linn's Journey06:00 James's Journey07:30 Defining Success09:00 Linn's Success View10:30 Measuring Progress14:00 James on Influence17:00 Measuring Enablement18:30 Articulating Value22:00 Why IMGD Helps23:45 James on Influence26:45 Org Influencing Designers27:45 James's Sales Example29:00 Keeping Design Sensibility34:00 Misconceptions about SD37:30 Linn's In-house Challenges38:00 Linn on Failure42:00 Gentle Activism46:00 What to Strive For48:30 Learning More49:30 James's Motivation52:30 Linn's Motivation54:30 James's Final Point55:00 Linn's Final Say --- [ 2. LINKS ] --- https://www.linkedin.com/in/linn-janssonhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesadamfield/ --- [ 3. CIRCLE ] --- Join our private community for in-house service design professionals. https://servicedesignshow.com/circle
Have we, as the design field, contributed to the erosion of our social fabric over the last years...I had a big week recently. My daughter received the news about which high school she'll be attending next year. In the Netherlands, we have a lottery system for high schools; you list multiple options and hope fortune smiles upon you for your first choice. The second option on my daughter's list involved a 45-minute bike ride, which is quite a journey, even by Dutch standards.A few weeks prior, we'd made that bike ride together to visit the school. Reflecting on those 45 minutes, it struck me.The experience is, of course, completely different when you make that journey alone compared to when you're riding alongside your best friend to school.Suddenly, those 45 minutes take on a totally new meaning. So, in this case to make the journey more enjoyable, you don't have to redesign the roads, you need to design for connection.This got me thinking: What if we shifted our focus in design? What would happen if we started designing more for groups instead of just individuals, for 'together' instead of 'alone,' for co-experience and communities? And what is the price we pay if we don't? It seems that many other fields already embraced the importance of community, while design seems to be trailing behind, why is that?These questions have been going through my mind a lot lately.That's why I was particularly excited to chat with James Lang. James, a founder of the collective Together by Design, has spent the last few years deeply immersed in the world of community design.In this episode, we explore why community design is an essential, yet often overlooked, part of the service design toolkit and share practical ways to build stronger connections through design.So if you're looking to design better, more humane services while strengthening our communities at the same time, this is the perfect episode for you.James and I had a fun debate about the art and science of knowing if your community is "working". I'm curious which side you'll lean towards after listening.Keep making a positive impact and design for community!~ Marc--- [ 1. GUIDE ] --- 00:00 Intro / Welcome04:00 Why Design Communities?07:30 Community defined by James10:30 Sense of Belonging12:00 Together by Design16:00 Why Study Communities?26:00 Changing Our Approach30:30 Ethics in Design31:00 Ethics in Community Design34:00 Cult vs. Community / Power Dynamics37:15 Community Defined by Marc31:30 Community Ownership & Power40:45 Commercial Communities42:00 Non-Commercial Communities42:30 Money in Non-Commercial Communities47:45 Community Health KPIs51:45 Marc's Community Example52:45 James on Marc's Community56:00 Why Measure Community?57:00 Measuring Community Signals58:00 Intentional Community Building1:01:00 Resources & Get Involved1:02:30 James' Closing Thoughts --- [ 2. LINKS ] --- https://www.linkedin.com/in/jameslangresearch/https://www.togetherbydesign.org/https://www.linkedin.com/company/together-by-design/ --- [ 3. CIRCLE ] --- Join our private community for in-house service design professionals. https://servicedesignshow.com/circle
Who pours their heart and soul into journey maps that end up gathering dust...Exactly no one of course!Sure, we all want our journey work to have more impact, faster. But the question is how?That's exactly what we're exploring in the Journey Management Playbook series in collaboration with TheyDo.What makes this series different is that it's built on the real-world lessons learned from companies who are deep in the trenches of implementing journey management. Success leaves clues – clues we're sharing with you.Just like in the first episode, this second part dives into a step that many professionals (myself included, sometimes) tend to skip, overlook, or take for granted. Yeah, it's the kind of oversight that often comes back to haunt you later on.This crucial step is all about grounding your journey efforts in solid evidence, blending the what with the why. It's what separates informed action from guesswork.Getting this right brings clarity on what truly deserves your attention and what noise you can safely ignore. Without it, you're essentially sailing in the dark, hoping for the best. And let's be honest, hope isn't the most reliable strategy when stakeholders are looking for tangible results.So, join Tingting Lin and me to learn how to prevent your journey management efforts from failing to make the impact they deserve.I thought I already had things pretty well dialled in with my own journey management, but this conversation was an eye-opener. Tingting showed how looking into a few simple things differently could help me ground my journeys in even stronger evidence. Take care,~ Marc[RESOURCES]LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tingting-lin Journey AI Episode: https://youtu.be/ImPCICkw9CITheyDo - https://www.theydo.com/[EPISODE GUIDE]00:00 Episode Preview 04:00 Meet the Expert: Tingting06:30 EP 1 Recap: Business Challenge08:30 Data in Workflow11:30 Analyzing with Data16:30 Data Types & Sources18:00 Siloed Data Challenge19:30 Numbers vs Emotions21:30 Why Data Quality22:30 Understanding Quant Data25:30 Correlations & Indicators28:00 Comperehensive data32:30 Adding Data Context35:30 Actionable Data Context37:45 Quant Data Takeaways39:00 Qualitative Data Example41:00 Churn Example with Qual43:00 Unstructured data45:00 Naturally occurring data48:00 Key qualitative data insights49:45 AI for Quality Analysis50:45 Putting Data Together53:00 Data Combination Insights56:00 Data in Large Businesses57:30 The Business Journey Tool58:30 Episode 3 Preview1:00:00 Audience Q&A (EP 1)
What is the secret to consistently delivering high-quality work, day in and day out...Recently, I was chatting with my neighbours who run a bespoke interior design and manufacturing business.They make truly stunning, customised pieces for the upper market.It's easy to think their success hinges on exceptional craftsmanship, which is surely part of it.But what really keeps their business running smoothly is something far more fundamental.In my conversation with them, we agreed that most of it comes down to things like having the right supplies available, making sure everything in its place so it can be found quickly, that tools in tip-top shape, and even something as simple as having lunch prepared so you don't have to worry about it.These basic and somewhat "boring" conditions, are what enable them to deliver consistently high-quality work. Without them, production would be a slog, quality would be all over the map, and let's face it, they probably wouldn't be in business for very long.We often take these kinds of conditions for granted. When things are running like a well-oiled machine, we assume that's just how it's supposed to be.But you, as a service design professional, know that the conditions for delivering your best work are often far from guaranteed.In fact, it can often feel like your organization is actively making your job harder, not easier.This brings us to the question: What would it take to create the ideal conditions for service design to achieve its maximum impact? And how can we actually put those conditions in place?Well, as you might have guessed already, that's where Design Operations (aka DesignOps) comes in.Getting started with DesignOps (or scaling it) can be a real challenge, especially in organizations that don't have a strong design heritage.But the good news is that John Calhoun and Rachel Posman have done the heavy lifting for us. They've gathered best practices from experienced DesignOps professionals and compiled them into a brand-new book "The Design Conductors".This book promises to help you kickstart or scale your DesignOps efforts more effectively, make a bigger impact, and sidestep common pitfalls. The result? Making your life as a service design professional a whole lot easier!So, with this foresight, we of course need to know more about this book.And you guessed it, that's exactly what this episode is all about.Here's already one key insight from the conversation: Every organization is already doing design operations. Most are just doing it unconsciously and missing out on the benefits. Yeah, there's a lot of low-hanging fruit waiting to be picked...--- [ 1. GUIDE ] --- 00:00 Welcome to Episode 22604:00 Book Title Revealed05:00 Defining DesignOps06:30 Starting the DesignOps Journey08:30 Realizing it's DesignOps10:30 Inside Design Operations13:00 DesignOps IS Design16:00 Honing the Craft (Iteration)21:30 Ideal Book Audience & Origins26:00 Book Feedback28:00 Why Write the Book Now?31:45 Book Structure Evolution40:00 Favorite Writing Part42:30 Deciding Book Content45:30 Defining Success & Measurement50:30 Knowing You're on Track53:00 Current State of DesignOps56:00 AI as a Roadblock57:30 AI as an Opportunity59:30 Questions While Writing1:02:30 What Was Left Out1:04:30 A Question to Ponder1:06:30 Get the Book1:07:30 Discount & Giveaway --- [ 2. LINKS ] --- https://www.linkedin.com/in/johncalhoun/https://www.thedesignconductors.com/ [ Discount Code ]Use "ServiceDesign15" to get 15% off the book. Valid till May 31, 2025. Redeemable at https://rosenfeldmedia.com/books/design-operations/[ Signed Copy Contest ]Leave a comment on this episode (via YouTube or Spotify) to enroll in the contest. We will pick a random entry on May 8th, 2025. Please respond within 24 hours if you have won to claim your prize. --- [ 3. CIRCLE ] --- Join our private community for in-house service design professionals. https://servicedesignshow.com/circle
Who are they...I know there are many out there and you could very well be one of them.I'm talking about the unsung heroes who do the hard work of making the services around us a little bit better each and every day. It might sound a little bit silly, but I feel that we don't know enough what it's like to do service design on a day to day basis.Sure, we often hear about inspiring theories, useful frameworks and great case studies. But somehow we rarely get to see the honest, unpolished and messy side of our work.Well, that's about to change!We're starting an new series here on the Show. A series where we dive deep into the actual practice of service design. About time, right? ;)You'll hear two guests, both experienced in-house service design professionals, talk about their hard-won lessons, how they measure success, the indispensable skills to do their work well and much more.In this first episode, I'm joined by Shelby Bower and Nicole Bennett who both, as you'll quickly hear, bring a wealth of experience and practical wisdom to the conversation.So if you want compare if you're doing service design in a way that aligns with your fellow practitioners, and maybe learn a thing or two from their approach, this series is for you.Which question would you ask a fellow service design professional? Let me know and maybe I'll be able to weave it in into the next episode.~ Marc--- [ 1. GUIDE ] --- 00:00 Welcome to this episode01:30 Introducing Shelby05:00 Introducing Nicole11:00 Nicole Definition of Success13:30 Shelby's Success Metrics17:30 Tracking Progress21:45 Nicole's Dinner Table Session23:30 Topic Choice (Nicole)24:30 Shelby's Session Topic26:00 Topic Choice (Shelby)27:45 Nicole's Key Takeaways30:45 Shelby's Key Moments34:45 Shelby's Written Takeaway36:00 Nicole's Post-Session Impact38:30 In-House Design Misconceptions43:30 Nicole's In-House Design Truth46:30 In-House vs. Agency50:30 Becoming Indispensable In-House54:30 Shelby's Motivation (Burnout)57:30 Nicole's Motivation59:30 Nicole's Advice59:45 Shelby's Advice --- [ 2. LINKS ] --- Shelby's LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/shelbybower/ Nicole's LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolerosebennett/ --- [ 3. CIRCLE ] --- Join our private community for in-house service design professionals. https://servicedesignshow.com/circle
I'm sure you recognize this...A stakeholders comes up with a new idea they want to explore, which you are highly skeptical about.Or take the opposite scenario where you see value in pursuing an opportunity but have a hard time getting your business stakeholders on board.The underlaying question in both situation is really how do you know which opportunities to pursue and which one are just a waste of time?Once we have the ability to predict the future this question will become irrelevant... but up to that point we have to rely on tools and frameworks that help us make educated guesses about the future.There's already many, many frameworks out there already that try to help you navigate theses kinds of strategic questions. All of these frameworks come with their pros and cons and should be used in different situations.But I'm pretty sure that you haven't yet come across the PRFAQ framework, at least I hadn't until I met Marcelo Calbucci, who recently wrote a book about it.So, why should you care about another framework? Well, for one PRFAQ has been used internally heavily inside Amazon for over 20 years already, helping them decide which projects to focus their resources on. And I think we can agree that Amazon has had a few success over the last years.So why didn't this framework get out sooner and find broader adoption outside of Amazon, that's one of the questions I had for Marcello as well.When I got more familiar with the framework, what fascinated me is that it has a strong emphasises writing. Yeah, I know the idea of having to write instead of visualising might scare off a few people at first but trust me, you don't have to be novelist in order to leverage the power of this framework. As you'll hear, Marcelo explains in this episode that writing has deeper and more important purpose than putting words on paper.Does this mean it's less suited for the design community? The opposite couldn't be more than true, this framework should be a natural fit for us, and you'll learn why in the conversation.So if you want to make important strategic decisions faster and with more confidence the PRFAQ framework is absolutely one of the tools you should consider.And this episode will help you get up to speed about it in no time.In a world where many people around us are more comfortable with the written word (and spreadsheets), having a framework like this can make the difference between finding the connection with them and not.Enjoy and keep making a positive impact!~ Marc--- [ 1. GUIDE ] --- 00:00 Welcome to episode 22504:13 What is PRFAQ?06:30 The problem PRFAQ solves08:30 PRFAQ's Origin10:00 Structure of a PRAFQ13:00 When to Use14:30 PRFAQ Power / Use17:30 Thinking about PRFAQ19:00 An Example21:30 Strategic writing elements24:00 Avoiding Nitpicking25:00 Who Struggles / Benefits26:45 Biggest misconceptions29:00 AI Influence on PRFAQ31:30 When to be careful using AI33:30 How to Start using PRAFQ35:00 Using Marc as an example37:30 How to express the problem39:15 Sustainability41:00 Retention44:30 Strategy: Can vs Should45:45 The Spark46:00 Marcelo's Next Steps47:30 Does PRFAQ Take Long?49:00 PRFAQ Superpowers / Importance52:00 Writing Challenges 54:00 Possible Book Sequel55:30 Question to ponder56:15 Learn More about PRAFQ --- [ 2. LINKS ] --- https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcelocalbucci/The PRFAQ Framework (about the book)https://calbucci.com/ --- [ 3. CIRCLE ] --- Join our private community for in-house service design professionals. https://servicedesignshow.com/circle
Ever feel like you're pushing a boulder uphill with journey management... Yeah, we've all been there. But guess what? There's a smarter way! That's why we're launching a brand new deep dive series on the Service Design Show. In this series, we're pulling back the curtain on how you can get tangible business results faster through journey management.Helping to grow trust with stakeholders, and finally getting the green light to do (more of) the work that truly matters. For this series, I've brought in Tingting Lin from the TheyDo team. Tingting has pretty much seen it all. The wins, the stumbles, and everything in between. She's guided countless teams and knows precisely what separates the journey management champions from the rest. And over the coming weeks, she's sharing all the secrets with us.In episode one, we're tackling a step that's often overlooked - a step that can derail your whole project later on. So, if you want to set yourself up for long-term success, this episode shows you the first key step on that journey.P.S. Got questions? Share them in the comments on YouTube or Spotify and we might just answer yours in a future episode.[ RESOURCES ]LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tingting-lin Slides - https://go.servicedesignshow.com/journey-management-playbookTheyDo - https://www.theydo.com/[ EPISODE GUIDE ]00:00 TheyDo Ep 01: Tingting01:30 Tingting's Background02:30 Introducing Theydo Platform04:15 Journey Management Struggles08:15 Marc's Business Case09:00 Episode Content Preview10:00 Defining Effective Challenges15:30 6-Month Challenge Example16:30 Challenges vs. Goals18:30 "Why" Before "How"20:00 Quarterly Challenge Example21:00 Marc's Target Example23:30 Community Experience Challenge26:30 Debit Card Focus32:00 Bridging Journey Gaps35:00 Setting Goals & Targets36:00 Challenge Impact Analysis38:15 Journey Achievement Goals41:00 Reviewing Key Slides43:00 Defining Good Challenges45:00 Proving Contribution Value47:30 Challenge Important Notes48:30 Episode Content Recap49:00 Audience Q&A Session50:00 Next Episode Preview
It's just not designed for me...That thought hits me every time I'm in the kitchen, wrestling, trying to prepare a healthy meal for the family.Reading recipes six times over, scrambling for ingredients, juggling the chaos of parallel cooking... yeah, it's a mess.And then, there's my wife, a natural chef, gliding through it all with effortless grace. Watching her is like watching poetry in motion.This stark contrast reinforces that the kitchen and everything in it feels utterly alien to me.Now, as a white, middle-aged, English-speaking, physically able male, I'll be the first to admit this feeling of alienation is rare for me when dealing with most products and services. And yes, cooking is a trivial example.But countless people who face do face this daily in situations far more critical.Imagine navigating healthcare, financial services, or public services, feeling like they weren't designed for you. Now that's a serious problem.Unfortunately, this is the reality for more services than we'd maybe like to admit.Sure, from a service design (and business perspective), it's easy to justify focusing on the majority.Time and resources are limited, so we design for the "center of the bell curve," the biggest group or the most profitable users. If that means excluding some, well, that's just business, right?But our guest, Jess Kessin, argues that good design does not exclude.She proposes an alternative approach: inclusive design that's both effective and cost-efficient. In fact, she insists it pays for itself.So, how do we bring more inclusive practices into our design process? How do we make the business case? And what are some practical starting points?We dive into all of that and much more in this episode.As I've often said on the Show, making our services inclusive is our responsibility as a design community.Even (especially) when no one is asking, it should be our own professional standard for good design.Enjoy the conversation, and as always, keep making a positive impact.~ Marc--- [ 1. GUIDE ] --- 00:00Welcome to Episode 22403:30 Meet Jess05:15 Discussion of D-School06:30 Barriers to Implementing Inclusive Design08:30 The Business Case11:00 Addressing Stakeholder Profit Concerns13:30 Prototyping Inclusive Design15:00 Identifying Key Focus Areas 17:00 Living up to design standard22:00 Engaging "Edge Users"25:00 Designing for Extreme Users29:00 Expanding Design to "All" of Humanity32:00 Community-Driven Design33:00 Untapped Market Potential35:30 Misconceptions Among Design Students41:00 Blind Spots in Design Education44:30 Learning from Users with Disabilities45:00 Discovering Insights from Outliers46:00 Importance of Good Design49:00 Practical tips for designer51:30 The Future of Inclusive Design55:00 AI as a Tool for Inclusive Design58:00 Taking Leadership in Inclusive Design1:00:00 Food for Thought --- [ 2. LINKS ] --- https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessicazkessin/ --- [ 3. CIRCLE ] --- Join our private community for in-house service design professionals. https://servicedesignshow.com/circle
I try to avoid conflict... most of the time.It creates tension that I usually find counter-productive.But what if this tension is actually the catalyst for growth?Have I been missing out?Our guest Tash Willcocks thinks so.She's a self-proclaimed former conflict avoider who now champions the idea of "running towards the conflict" to unlock its potential for positive change.Yes, conflict creates a tension that most of us instinctively shy away from.But according to Tash, this tension can foster collaboration and drive personal growth when channeled in the right ways.There's just one small problem.Conflict in the workplace often occurs when people give (or receive) feedback. But most of us aren't really great at this.So, instead of using feedback as a constructive opportunity, things either spiral out of control, or people conceal the key message out of politeness.In both cases, it's a missed opportunity.The art is to find that sweet spot between kindness and clarity, where we can give and receive feedback in a way that feels supportive and helps us grow.I have to say, Tash's journey from conflict avoidance to embracing tension is quite inspiring.So, if you want to turn those tough conversations into moments where you learn and grow the most, this episode has you covered.Tash made me think: What is the best feedback I've received, from whom, and what made it so powerful? What would be your answer...Enjoy the episode, and keep making a positive impact!~ Marc--- [ 1. GUIDE ] --- 00:00 Welcome to episode 22304:00 Embracing creative conflict05:45 What sparked her interest in this topic07:00 Take hard conversations10:30 Run towards the conflict13:00 Teaching conflict16:00 Opening up wounds19:00 Radical candor23:30 Avoiding hard talks21430 Overcoming avoidance27:00 Feedback and timing30:00 Giving & receiving feedback32:30 People solve problems35:00 Beyond reading design books38:00 Starving artist mindset39:15 Takeaways so far43:30 Drama triangle vs Empowerment triangle47:00 Creating self-awareness while drawing49:30 Drawing as journaling51:00 Ruthlessly curious53:00 Piece of advice54:45 Question to ponder55:00 Resources --- [ 2. LINKS ] --- https://www.linkedin.com/in/tashwillcocks/https://www.instagram.com/tashwillcockshttps://bsky.app/profile/tashwillcocks.bsky.socialResources:Radical Candor (Book)Radical Candor (Podcast)Turn the Ship around - BookLadder of leadership MindSpring Presents: "Greatness" by David MarquetJohari WindowGiving and receiving feedback - cards Susan Wheelan Team DevelopmentDrama and Empowerment TriangleScott Berkun - Why Design is hard --- [ 3. CIRCLE ] --- Join our private community for in-house service design professionals. https://servicedesignshow.com/circle
When advice goes wrong...My daughter is an avid soccer player.On a recent cold and dark Saturday morning, I was standing on the sideline cheering her on at a match - the priceless perks of being a dad.At some point, the opposing team coach was shouting to their players, "You need to defend better!" And all I could think to myself at that moment was, "That's terrible advice." Not because they were defending well - rather the opposite. But, I mean, "defend better" - would you know what you're supposed to do? Should I press higher, get closer to the attacker, make more forward runs? This type of advice often just leads to more confusion and coordination problems.Now, in design, we also get this type of well-intended but counter-productive advice all too often.Want a classic example? How about "designers need to understand business"? No sh*t Sherlock.We hear this ALL the time.Very rarely does someone go beyond the surface and get specific about what "understanding business" actually means.Fortunately for us, we have someone on the Show today who does - Ryan Scott. Ryan has an impressive track record in design, but he also holds an MBA degree. This combination is quite unique and gives him the ability to look at challenges from different perspectives with empathy for both sides.So in this episode, we unpack what it actually takes to bridge the gap between business and design. You'll be surprised to hear how many skills you already have to make this crossover successfully. It's not easy, but it's not as hard or distant as you might think, either. MBA degree not required.So, if you've ever felt frustrated by the lack of respect and appreciation for design from "the business side," this conversation might just hold the clue on how you can turn that around.I've always said that designers can be some of the best salespeople. It's really time that we start using this power to our advantage. Because we are all selling already, every single day.Enjoy and keep making a positive impact!~ Marc--- [ 1. GUIDE ] --- 00:00 Welcome to episode 22203:00 Broad Designer Role05:00 Business vs. Users07:30 Why an MBA?11:00 Business for Designers14:00 People Skills & Clout15:30 Design Gaslighting21:00 Joining the Conversation22:30 The Gap32:00 Management-Led Design34:00 Shaping Your Perspective36:00 Sales & Brand38:00 Biggest Roadblock41:30 Reframing Our Identity46:15 Adapting to the System48:45 Imposter Syndrome51:45 Proving Your Impact54:00 Competitive Analysis56:30 Design Career Path1:01:00 Question to Ponder1:02:15 Resources --- [ 2. LINKS ] --- https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanscottcreative/ How to win friends and influence people by Dale Carnegie (book) - https://a.co/d/0VTXtJ3 48 laws of power by Robert Greene (book) - https://a.co/d/ftLLRom https://www.acceleratedesign.com/ Maven Learning - https://maven.com/ryan-scott --- [ 3. CIRCLE ] --- Join our private community for in-house service design professionals. https://servicedesignshow.com/circle
AI won't take over your job...An 8-year-old girl with AI will!Don't believe me? Check outthis video which was making the rounds on LinkedIn a while ago.In the video a young girl coding a Harry Potter quiz game with the help of AI. In a matter of minutes.It's a funny and striking example of where things are heading – or should I say, where they already are.It'd be naive to think service design won't be affected.But the current conversations about AI's impact often lack depth, nuance, and practical examples.We don't seem to get much further than: "AI is good" or "AI is bad."What are we even talking about when we say "AI"? We need to unpack it. Go beyond the surface.Fortunately, our guest for this episode has done some of the heavy lifting for us.As an educator at one of the leading design institutes, Pablo Fernández Vallejo has to live in the future.He's always thinking about the skills future professionals will need in 4 years' time when they graduate. And of course, being able to make full use of AI is high on the list right now.So in this episode, we sit down and talk about big questions like: Do we need to become AI experts ourselves, or should we focus on further developing our critical thinking skills? What are the risks and opportunities of bringing AI into the design process? What are the tasks that we can safely outsource to AI and which ones should we be more careful with.So, whether you're an AI skeptic or optimist, I feel this conversation will challenge your thinking and help you make more informed decisions moving ahead.A thought-provoking question in this episode is what will happen to our professional identities when AI starts to blur the boundaries between disciplines. It's not a question of if it will happen, but how quickly.Curious to hear your thoughts, so make sure to leave a comment on below.Enjoy and keep making a positive impact.~ Marc--- [ 1. GUIDE ] ---00:00 Welcome to Episode 22104:00 Grandparents' influence on AI perspective06:00 Over-represented large language models08:30 AI with a bias11:00 Designing at the age of AI14:00 Current state of designing with AI17:30 Automation vs. Augmentation19:30 AI's Impact on Students26:30 AI Possibilities vs. Limits29:00 AI & Expertise Balance30:00 Calculator analogy32:30 AI & Service Commoditization35:00 How AI impacts non-digital services38:00 AI power dynamics38:30 Service design for ai42:30 AI as an active participant44:30 Gaps in the society47:15 Questions we should be asking53:00 Sustainability & AI55:00 Learning about past mistakes57:00 Tech development and society conversation59:30 The future we can build1:00:40 Resources1:02:00 Questions to ponder --- [ 2. LINKS ] --- https://www.linkedin.com/in/pablofernandezvallejoCo-Intelligence: Living and Working with AI by Ethan Mollick (Book)Pablo's talk on Impact of AI in Service DesignPablo's post-SDGC article on the state of the conversationWebsite: https://www.fernandezvallejo.com/ --- [ 3. CIRCLE ] ---Join our private community for in-house service design professionals.https://servicedesignshow.com/circle
I crossed a line... Recently, while working on redesigning our online community platform, my excitement got the better of me. I dove headfirst into prototyping a few things in the backend system. "How hard could it be, right?" (Keep this line in mind throughout the rest of the email.) Sure, I know a thing or two about programming, and if everything else fails, there's always AI to help out, right? Well, the honest conclusion a few days later, when we brought in a true expert developer, was that I had no clue what I was doing. Before the developer could implement the updates properly, we had to undo all the changes I had made. So we lost time, not once, but twice. The silly thing is, this seems to be a habit I can't shake. And I see it a lot around me as well: saying yes to challenges that are better left to experts. Of course, there are many situations where being confident and experimental gets things done. Instead of waiting and debating, we build a prototype and iterate from there. Frankly, this approach is encouraged and celebrated in our design process. But... there's a major pitfall. In the story above, the cost of my "how hard can it be?" approach was lost time. That's unfortunate but not something that will cause any major, long-term damage. Now, imagine working in a context where the stakes are much higher. Where you're intervening in people's lives. Where your solutions impact the well-being of communities. Where your approach has the potential to reduce—or increase—systemic inequalities. KA McKercher, our guest in this episode, argues that in those scenarios, we can't just rush in and take on every project that comes our way. Because when we do, and we go in with a beginner's mindset, chances are high that we might end up causing actual harm to the people who need help the most. In those situations, losing time on a project is the least of your worries. There are clearly much bigger stakes at play. So the tough question becomes: How do we know which challenges are a good fit for our skillset and which ones should we say no to? Especially when we want to do good and contribute to a positive outcome in those high-stakes challenges. Having the self-awareness to know you limits and limitations is a sign of maturity and professionalism. If you care about growing your self-awareness, this is a conversation you don't want to miss. --- [ 1. GUIDE ] --- 00:00 Welcome to Episode 220 04:00 Good intentions are not enough 06:30 Why this matters 09:00 Lived experience aligning to design 12:30 What's good enough? 14:30 What is co-facilitation 16:30 Emotional curiosity 20:30 Being conscious of the water 27:00 What to do 30:30 Is it a yes or no? 35:00 Intentions 38:30 What's within the scope 41:00 Material based practices 45:30 Impostor syndrome 48:30 Reviews on the article 50:00 Hoping the conversation evolves 52:00 When it's out of your scope 54:30 When to step away 58:00 Question to ponder --- [ 2. LINKS ] --- https://www.linkedin.com/in/ka-mckercher Ethical Curiosity with Trans and Non-Binary Clients by Lucie Fielding (book) www.BeyondStickyNotes.com --- [ 3. CIRCLE ] --- Join our private community for in-house service design professionals. https://servicedesignshow.com/circle
You've never heard this on the Show before... I'm referring to a design tool that most people disregard, even laugh about when they first hear about it. They say it's childish, something you can't take seriously in a professional context. But as you'll hear in today's conversation, this tool holds immense power. Not only that, it helps you better align with your true self and what you truly want to contribute to the world. And the best thing? You already have this tool in your possession. We all do. So, what is this magical tool? It's your dreams. Now, I know what you're thinking. Dreams, really?! But hear me out, it's actually not that crazy. Why do we always talk about design thinking and design doing, and not about design dreaming? If anything, I'd argue that the times we live in demand we dream more to envision a better future. Our amazing guest, Courtney Morgan, helps us tap into the power of our dreams. She shares practical examples of the power of collective dreaming. We address the misconceptions around dreaming and discuss how to get people to tap into and share their dreams in a design process. You'll notice that the conversation doesn't begin with dreams, but we naturally gravitate in that direction and fall down the rabbit hole. So, if you want to go beyond the usual design tools and methods and tap into something truly transformative... make sure you don't miss this episode. A simple practice to become more aware of your dreams is to start writing them down. This is what I've incorporated into my morning routine. Very curious to see what effects this will have in a few months. Enjoy and keep making a positive impact. ~ Marc --- [ 1. GUIDE ] --- 00:00 Welcome to episode 219 03:30 Defining "one percent" 05:00 Focus of the 1% 13:00 Non-profit & community 13:50 Importance of lived experiences in work 17:00 Building trust first 18:30 What happens with lack of trust 21:30 Designer vs Community member role 24:00 A "World Creator" role 26:30 5 years ago vs today 30:30 What is efficiency? 33:00 What does good look like 34:30 Patience and her son 36:30 The role of dreaming 39:00 Courtney's dream 41:00 How we can become better dreamers 43:30 Prejudice against collective dreaming 47:30 Unsurppressing dreams 54:00 Advice she wished someone told her 59:30 Question to ponder --- [ 2. LINKS ] --- https://www.linkedin.com/in/courtney-morgan-associate-aia-noma Website: https://www.thescrd.com/ --- [ 3. CIRCLE ] --- Join our private community for in-house service design professionals. https://servicedesignshow.com/circle
This one is a bit different... Not the usual interview that you're used to. In this episode, you'll actually hear me answering the questions. Why? Well, it's become a bit of a tradition to start the year by reflecting on the lessons learned while building the Circle community. The Circle started 3.5 years ago as an idea to see what would happen if we created a safe space for in-house service design professionals to connect and share regularly. Today, it's grown to a healthy size with members from companies across the globe and in almost any industry you can imagine — from big tech to church organizations (I kid you not!). Service design professionals are everywhere these days. I'm very grateful for where the community is today, but it certainly hasn't been a straight line up. Designing a service (which is essentially what our community is) for service designers is quite hard, who would have thought? ;) So, for this episode, I sat down with Ru Butler who's one of our Circle Council members to discuss the biggest wins, challenges, and ambitions for the coming year. Even if you're not working in-house, I think you'll still enjoy this behind-the-scenes look at how we're thinking about and trying to design our community. I'd love to hear what you think of this episode format. Would you like to hear it more often? How could we make it better? Any other feedback is welcome, too. Send me a message or reach out on LinkedIn. Happy 2025 and take care, Marc --- [ 1. GUIDE ] --- 00:00 The Circle 2024 Special episode 03:00 Who is Ru 04:30 What stood out last year 09:30 Marc's key motivations 13:00 Ru's Circle Highlights: 1-on-1s 17:30 Benefits of 1-on-1s: accountability 19:00 Leading the Circle community 24:30 Favorite sessios in 2024 31:00 The community's growth 37:00 The importance of community 43:00 2025 Vision and The Loop 46:00 The follow-through 48:30 Seasons for the Circle 2025 54:00 2025 Goals 58:00 For the Self-Doubting Designers --- [ 2. LINKS ] --- https://www.linkedin.com/in/rubutler https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcfonteijn Advancing Service Design Talk: Increase your confidence, influence, and impact --- [ 3. CIRCLE ] --- Join our private community for in-house service design professionals. https://servicedesignshow.com/circle
First of all, I want to wish you a very happy 2025. We're starting the new year with a bang. Journey Management has been a hot topic for the last two years, and for good reason. The shift from mapping to management might seem small, but it's a major change in how we and our clients approach things. If you've been following the Show for a while, you know we are keeping up with these developments as they unfold. So, I thought it would be great to invite a good friend and long-time partner of the Show, Jochem van der Veer, back to kick 2025 off with some predictions. As CEO of TheyDo, Jochem is building one of the most innovative companies in this space. So I think it's fair to say that he has a front-row seat to how companies are adopting (or not) Journey Management. In this conversation, we discuss how journey management has evolved, the challenges of scaling it, which organizations are succeeding, and what's next (including AI's influence). Oh, and we announce a new conference... Join us for a great episode that's going to give you a head start on your Journey Management journey this year. What are YOUR predictions for this year? Leave a comment on YouTube (or Spotify). It'll be fun to revisit them next year
There's a problem with the current design process that often goes unnoticed... A problem that can lead to less-than-ideal outcomes or, even worse, harm certain communities. To understand this, we must acknowledge our huge responsibility as design professionals. We're often the only ones advocating for our users' needs, the voice of those who aren't in the room. It's a privilege we shouldn't take lightly. We make decisions, and judgment calls for the people we're designing for. Of course, we do our best with the best intentions, but we always will fall short. Why? Because we aren't the users. We don't live their lives or experience their struggles. Sure, let there be no doubt: having someone advocate for users is a good start, but it's not enough. We can do better; we must do better. Our guest, Sloan Leo Cowan, helps us see what "better" looks like. The key is to move away from "designing for" or even "designing with" users and move towards "designing by" them. It means giving up control and power. Sound impossible? Sloan Leo shares practical examples of how they've achieved this in their work. This episode will show you a way forward if you care about creating more inclusive and equitable work. Stop designing WITH your users! There is a better way. As you'll hear, Sloan Leo's perspective on design challenges the status quo. We really need this to push the boundaries of design and ensure it stays relevant. Keep making a positive impact! Take care, ~ Marc --- [ 1. GUIDE ] --- 00:00 Welcome to Episode 217 04:00 Sloan's social sector journey 08:15 Defining Community? 10:15 Service design "habits" (issues) 12:45 Neutrality in Interpretation 15:15 Facilitator vs. Interpreter Roles 18:45 Facilitating towards beliefs 19:30 Power Dynamics in Facilitation 21:15 Binary thinking in service design 26:45 Issue: Persona Development & Gender 31:45 Origins of Community Design Issues 36:00 How to approach the large scale 38:15 Open source approach 40:30 The challenges for service designers 41:45 Benefits for Communities and Designers 43:45 Advice for Aspiring Designers 47:15 Recommended Resources 51:45 Proudest Achievements 54:15 Keys to Success 56:45 Additional Resources 57:30 Questions for Reflection --- [ 2. LINKS ] --- Pronouns they/he https://www.linkedin.com/in/sloanleo Website - floxstudio.com or sloanleo.com --- [ 3. CIRCLE ] --- Join our private community for in-house service design professionals. https://servicedesignshow.com/circle
There is no service design... Without high-quality research. Sure, we all know that. But doing good research is hard. Kate Towsey, often called the inventor of the ResearchOps field, can certainly attest to this. If you're a dedicated listener of the show, you might remember Kate from our conversation about a year ago where she shared that she was writing a book. Well, that book, titled "Research that Scales", has officially been published! And with a 4.9/5 rating on Amazon, it seems to have struck a chord with readers. Of course, we had to get Kate back on the show to discuss it. In this conversation we delve into topics like: Do we need to scale research, and if so why? What does "scale" actually mean in the context of research? When should you start thinking about scaling? What are the key steps to scaling research? What role can AI play in all of this? Will it take over our jobs? Why did it take Kate 3.5 years to publish the book? And as always, that's just the tip of the iceberg. It's hard to imagine a service design professional who wouldn't be interested in the topics we cover in this episode. Good research isn't just a nice-to-have; it's a must. Without giving away too many spoilers, I found it fascinating that it's not actually research that you need to (or can) scale, but something else. Something that we as a community are pretty good at. Can you guess what it is? Enjoy and keep making a positive impact! ~ Marc --- [ 1. GUIDE ] --- 00:00 Welcome to Episode 216 03:00 Quick overview about scaling research 04:00 Why she wrote the book 09:30 Pandemic's impact on the book 13:00 Research rabbit hole 15:00 Unscalable Research: What to Avoid 18:30 What is enough research? 22:00 The problem she saw 25:00 The main bottlenecks 27:45 Libriarian's role in making the change 31:00 How the process work 33:00 Knowledge as a network vs tree 35:30 Maximizing efficient use of library 39:00 Designing the system 41:00 Knowledge vs. Learning: Value Proposition 43:00 Cost center vs value center 47:00 AI and Research: A Synergistic Future 49:00 Cost of scaling: A Trade-off 51:00 Strategic approach to scaling 53:00 How to know when to scale 54:30 Her readers insights 56:00 Upcoming masterclasses 58:00 Resources 58:30 Food for thought --- [ 2. LINKS ] --- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katetowsey/ Website: https://katetowsey.com/ Substack: https://katetowsey.substack.com --- [ 3. CIRCLE ] --- Join our private community for in-house service design professionals. https://servicedesignshow.com/circle
What is strategy... A plan for how you intend to achieve your goals? That's how a lot of people define strategy. But there's a problem with this rigid approach... As Mike Tyson wisely said once: "Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face." Most strategies are too prescriptive about how the goal needs to be achieved. But we live in a VUCA world where it's getting harder and harder to predict what will happen, even just weeks ahead. The sphere of what an organization can control is shrinking (and control is an illusion anyway). What seemed like a wise action last week might be irrelevant today, thanks to new technology, a sudden global crisis, or a certain election outcome... Following your strategy in this scenario might mean you're executing what you agreed to, but it could very well lead you away from your intended goal. So, when there is so little we can control and predict, does that mean we shouldn't do any strategizing at all? Certainly not. We just need to adopt a more emergent approach. We still need a plan to align everyone, but one that allows for more flexibility and deciding in the moment what the right next step is. What does this type of strategy look like, and how do we get there? That's something Peter Compo has written a great book about, and I've invited him on the Show to share his learnings with us. We talk about: Why research is becoming an increasingly important capability for any organization. How we can know we'll achieve our goals if we don't know at the start which actions to take. And how to help an organization used to control and prediction embrace uncertainty and flexibility. I know this episode will resonate with many service design professionals. It ties strongly to our mantra of "doing the right things" and not just focusing on "doing things right." Strategy can be a very abstract term without much substance. But what I appreciated in our conversation is that Peter makes things super practical. It's time to roll up your sleeves and get to work on your strategy. Enjoy and keep making a positive impact. ~ Marc --- [ 1. GUIDE ] --- 00:00 Welcome to Episode 215 03:30 Music and emergence 06:00 How he got into writing the book 10:30 Pete's perspective in strategy 16:00 The theory of emergence 20:00 constraints & trust 26:30 Bridging the gap of uncertainty 30:30 Letting Go of Control 36:30 Examples of good metrics 41:00 False learning organization 46:30 Trusting your team 50:30 Aspiration-bottleneck triad 57:00 another recommendation 59:00 Strategy matrix 01:04:00 Personal Impact on writing 01:09:00 Resources 1:11:00 Question to ponder --- [ 2. LINKS ] --- https://www.linkedin.com/in/petercompo/ The Emergent Approach to Strategy (book) by Peter Compo - www.emergentapproach.com Peter Compo Music - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJsn2zbnx8dwvHJrisdkAtg --- [ 3. CIRCLE ] --- Join our private community for in-house service design professionals. https://servicedesignshow.com/circle
An exciting new conference is just around the corner, Advancing Service Design 2024. We recently had a chat with Lou Rosenfeld, the conference organizer, about key ideas behind the conference. Now, we're doing a deep dive into the two-day conference program with Sylvie Abookire, who's part of the curation team. In this episode, you'll hear about the main themes, the inspiring (and somewhat surprising) speakers, and of course how it all ties together to advance our field. Sure, you can also get some of this info on the conference website, but I promise this conversation is much more fun
I remember being subscribed to this email newsletter from a guy named Josh, all about email marketing (kind of meta)... Every single day, a new email from Josh would pop up in my inbox, and I'd open it right away. These emails were different, a bit weird even, but in the best way possible. Each one would start with something that felt totally random, a story about something Josh experienced. No mention of email marketing whatsoever. But every time I was hooked. I just had to know how the story ended. And then, bam, right at the end, with just two or three lines he'd tie it all back to email marketing in a way that just clicked. Those emails weren't just informative; they were actually enjoyable, to the point that I looked forward to them. Now being able to hold someone's attention like that always seemed like a magic superpower to me... but I learned that it's not. In this episode, Gabrielle Dolan, who's been teaching the craft of storytelling for over 20 years, reveals how you can grow your storytelling skills and use them to communicate your message in a way that stick and, most of all inspires action. And as service design professionals, we know that getting people to take action is critical for change but also very challenging. So whether you consider yourself a natural storyteller or not, this episode is packed with practical wisdom you won't want to miss. Josh, by the way, stopped sending his daily emails a while ago, but as you've noticed his lessons have stuck with me. Enjoy the episode and keep making a positive impact! Take care, ~ Marc --- [ 1. GUIDE ] --- 00:00 Welcome to Episode 214 03:30 Power of stories 06:00 Why stories make communication better 08:00 Dealing with skepticism 13:00 Why Organizations seek facts over stories 14:30 Story-Resistant Culture 18:00 Practical tips in becoming better storytellers 23:00 Finding your stories 24:00 Using spreadsheets 28:00 How to be comfortable using them 31:30 How to see if it's working (Tracking progress 34:00 Indicators of Success 37:00 Potential of backfiring 39:00 Gauging level of emotion 42:00 Advise from Ral 44:00 How Ral's storytelling evolved 45:30 How to use AI in storytelling 48:30 Storytelling vs acting 49:30 What's next in her storytelling journey 51:30 What kept her going 52:30 Resources 55:30 Question to ponder --- [ 2. LINKS ] --- https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabrielledolan/ https://gabrielledolan.com/ Magnetic Stories by Gabrielle Dolan (Book) - https://a.co/d/aA780d8 --- [ 3. CIRCLE ] --- Join our private community for in-house service design professionals. https://servicedesignshow.com/circle
I'm excited... There's a brand new conference just around the corner – Advancing Service Design – and it's organized by none other than Rosenfeld Media, the publisher behind some of the most iconic books in our field. Now you might be thinking... another conference? But trust me, this one is different. That's why I invited Lou Rosenfeld himself onto the Show to give us the inside scoop. In this episode, you'll learn: * Why Lou decided to launch a brand new conference. * Who is Advancing Service Design for? And what makes the conference different. So if you're curious about what all the excitement is about, make sure to tune in to this conversation. And as you can guess by the title there will be a part 2 where we'll dive deep into the full conference lineup and speakers. --- Want to attend Advancing Service Design? Well, you're in luck! Answer the simple question over here https://www.servicedesignshow.com/asdc2024-survey to get a 10% discount on your ticket. But that's not all! When you sign up using the provided code, you'll automatically enter a contest where you can win sweet prizes. --- [ 1. GUIDE ] --- 00:00 Welcome to a Special Episode 01:30 Q&A with Lou 03:30 Long-Awaited Service Design Conference 06:00 Why Service Design Now? 08:45 Conference Program 12:00 Target Audience 14:00 Conference Success Secrets 19:00 Benefit in Time, Support, and Labor prep 20:00 Why Ben Reason and Patrick Quattlebaum 23:00 Speaker Insights 26:00 Speaker highlights 30:00 What to expect 33:00 What Lou looks forward to 36:30 How to get tickets 39:15 Topics to stay tuned to --- [ 2. LINKS ] --- Get your Advancing Service Design tickets here: https://rosenfeldmedia.com/advancing-service-design/ --- [ 3. CIRCLE ] --- Join our private community for in-house service design professionals. https://servicedesignshow.com/circle
Sure, everyone's talking about Journey Management, but few are actually doing it well... It's one thing to map out customer journeys, but quite another to truly manage them. The frameworks and models look great on paper, but reality is often far messier. Most organizations struggle to get a handle on even one journey, let alone a dozen! So I'm excited that Florian Vollmer, a true pioneer in this field, returns to the Service Design Show to share his hard-won wisdom. You might remember him from his previous appearance on the Show where he talked about managing 100+ journeys at NCR. What's fascinating is that Florian got a rare opportunity when starting his new role at Autodesk – a chance to rebuild a Journey Management practice from the ground up, applying all the lessons from his previous experience. This is your classic "I wish I knew everything I know now at the start of this project. It would have been completed twice as fast and at half the cost."This time, we dive deep into the nitty-gritty of Journey Management, tackling tough questions like: Who really owns the journey? Are dedicated tools essential or just a distraction? Why getting granular at the touchpoint level is essential? What are the biggest challenges to launching Journey Management inside an organization? And the million-dollar question: how do you get buy-in and funding when you're just starting out? So if you're already knee-deep in Journey Management or just starting to explore it, I'm sure you'll appreciate Florian's honest perspective from the trenches. One of my biggest takeaways from this conversation was that, as Florian explains in detail, this is really hard work. So you have to have patience and be kind to yourself. Amen to that! Enjoy the conversation and keep making a positive impact. Take care, ~ Marc --- [ 1. GUIDE ] --- 00:00 Welcome to Episode 213 04:00 Looking back EP 168 05:15 Who is Florian 07:00 What is Journey Management 08:30 the momentum of journey management right now 13:00 How to manage customers 17:00 Balancing context switching 21:00 Evolving Role Perceptions 23:30 good quality vs great quality 26:00 Organic conversations vs Priorities 35:30 Who owns the journey? 39:30 Building momentum for change 42:30 Biggest key lessons 46:00 Journey management vs collaborations 48:30 Understanding journey management 55:15 Stay tuned for another episode with Florian 56:30 Resources --- [ 2. LINKS ] --- https://www.linkedin.com/in/florianvollmer/ Journey Management Alliance https://journeymanagement.substack.com --- [ 3. CIRCLE ] --- Join our private community for in-house service design professionals. https://servicedesignshow.com/circle
This might be the most profound conversation I've recorded this year... What if I told you that the puzzle of how to measure and quantify the value of design has already been solved? I know, it sounds too good to be true, right? But hear me out. We all struggle to express the value of design in metrics that businesses understand. The result? We often cut ourselves short because we can't present the impact of our work in a neat spreadsheet. It's frustrating, especially when we see decisions being made that make no sense to us based on "our data". There are many reasons why it's hard to quantify the return on investment of (service) design. We're creating value on a systemic level. We're doing it in co-creation, so attribution is a nightmare. The effects of our work sometimes take a long time to materialize. And the list goes on. So, is all hope lost? Do we throw our hands up in the air? Of course not. Recently, while researching better alternatives to hierarchical goal structures (which are inherently broken), I stumbled upon an article by Stacey Barr. I had never heard of Stacey or her work before. This discovery led me down a massive rabbit hole. Stacey is a leading expert on performance measurement. Over the last 20 years, she has developed and refined a methodology to measure, track, and improve performance that's being used in over 40 countries. The more I read about this methodology, the more I felt that this could be the breakthrough we've been looking for in the design field. I have to be careful not to raise expectations too high, but... Stacey is an unusual guest for the Show. Someone who's completely outside of our design bubble. And that's why this turned out to be such an interesting and eye-opening conversation. In this episode, you'll learn that there is a systemic and reliable approach to figuring out what and how you can measure the impact of design. You can take this approach and apply it to your work today! And best of all, as you'll hear, the approach builds upon a lot of the elements that we as a design community are already familiar with. I hope this episode will show you that we can actually get to measuring the things that matter, not just the things that are easy to measure. And maybe, even maybe, get you a little bit excited about measurement (yes, that's actually possible)! A part that I really liked in our conversation is when we rolled up our sleeves, took an abstract goal like "increasing the sense of belonging," and went step-by-step on how to break this down into more concrete and quantifiable metrics. This exercise really brought things home for me. Keep making a positive impact! ~ Marc --- [ 1. GUIDE ] --- 00:00: Welcome to Episode 212 04:00: Marc's rant on KPIs 05:30: Who is Stacy 08:00: Measuring service design 09:30: Evidence and numbers 13:00: Circle example 16:00: Measuring qualitative aspects 18:00: Quantifying "sense of belonging" 21:00: Circle buddies and belonging 27:00: If you can't experiment... 29:30: Client's vague goals & measurement 34:00: Handling vague ideas & measurement 38:30: Showing value and impact 39:00: Individual vs. team effort 43:00: Qualitative approach 44:00: Significant change method 48:00: Circle community tension 52:00: Measuring systemic impact 58:00: Perfection and systemic impact 1:00:30: Importance of the whole story 1:02:30: Compassion and starting small 1:04:00: Starting small with systemic thinking 1:06:30: Resources for systemic design --- [ 2. LINKS ] --- https://www.linkedin.com/in/staceybarr/ Results Map: https://www.staceybarr.com/measure-up/a-measurable-strategy-on-a-single-page/ Streamlined PuMP approach: https://www.staceybarr.com/measure-up/12-easy-steps-get-started-lean-kpi-methodology/ What is a measure: https://www.staceybarr.com/measure-up/kpis-performance-measures/ --- [ 3. CIRCLE ] --- Join our private community for in-house service design professionals. https://servicedesignshow.com/circle
Let's start with an "easy" question today... Is design a force for good, or just another cog in the capitalist machine? I know many design professionals are grappling with this question. We see design's potential to have a positive impact but often find ourselves frustrated by its misuse as a tool for profit at any cost. The overflowing landfills, the disposable products... These are reminders of design's unintended consequences. And while we yearn to challenge the status quo, to advocate for sustainable and ethical solutions, we often face resistance from those prioritizing short-term gains. Yeah, it's a delicate balance. So how can we raise our voices as activists without jeopardizing our livelihoods? How do we ensure that our work benefits not only our (internal) clients but also society and the planet? Our guest, Jennifer Rittner, has dedicated her career to exploring these questions. In the conversation, we delve into the complex relationship between design, ethics, and culture. Do we need a moral compass for the design industry? How much responsibility do we, as designers, bear for the impact of our work? What kind of culture do we want to shape through our designs? If anything, this episode invites you to step back from your daily tasks and reflect on the bigger picture. It's an opportunity to clarify your purpose as a professional and think about how you can align your work to that. So if that sparks your interest, join us for an inspiring chat. Let's be honest, in a world obsessed with instant gratification, it's crucial to pause every now and than to consider the long-term consequences of our actions. We owe it to generations to come. Enjoy and keep making a positive impact. ~ Marc --- [ 1. GUIDE ] --- 00:00 Welcome to Episode 211 03:30 Recalibrating Social Dynamics 05:00 Design and Social Dynamics 10:00 Is there an alternative? 17:30 How her approach changed 19:00 Marc's background 24:00 Solution before building 25:00 Designer reflection 26:30 Accountability in design 32:00 The landfill problem example 38:00 What's holding us back? 43:00 How to be better humans 47:15 How we label success 51:30 Her thoughts on designers 58:00 Balancing what to make 1:00:00 "The Lab culture" 1:03:30 Power to change 1:06:30 Resources --- [ 2. LINKS ] --- https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-rittner Design needs to grow up and take responsibility / George Aye / Episode #194 - https://youtu.be/tzGf6T_mMpE --- [ 3. CIRCLE ] --- Join our private community for in-house service design professionals. https://servicedesignshow.com/circle
Ever feel like the weight of the world on your shoulders as a service design professional... That you're constantly juggling your "actual" work with the complexities of organizational processes and structures? Well, I've said it before and I'll say it again: Our DesignOps friends are here to lighten that load. They enable us to focus on what we do best - design – by handling the operational intricacies that so often slow us down, and drain our energy. I've heard many firsthand stories of how transformative a DesignOps partner can be. But to fully unlock the potential of this partnership, we need to understand what's happening in the ever-evolving DesignOps world. That's why I'm very excited to have Meredith Black join us on the Show. Having contributed to building DesignOps teams at major companies like The New York Times, Pinterest, and Figma, and as co-founder of the largest online DesignOps community, Meredith is one of the most influential and well-informed people on the planet when it comes to DesignOps. In this episode, we dove into questions like: * What does it take to grow a successful DesignOps practice inside your org? * How does the shift towards remote work impact DesignOps strategies? * Why effective DesignOps might initially not look like what you'd expect? * And what's Meredith's secret for quickly gaining momentum and buy-in? Whether your organization already has an established DesignOps practice or you're just beginning to explore this field, I'm confident that the lessons Meredith shares in this conversation will make you a better service design professional. With the risk of over-exaggerating, tapping into Meredith's years of hard won wisdom feels a bit like cheating. So if you want to know how DesignOps can help you deliver your best work, don't miss out on this conversation. As you'll hear, DesignOps has faced quite some challenges in recent years. But at the same time it's clear that the train has left the station and will continue to move forward. DesignOps is here to stay and the future is brighter future than ever. --- [ 1. GUIDE ] --- 00:00 Welcome to Episode 210 04:00 Her credibility for this topic 07:00 Mental shift in Design Ops 13:00 Hard conversations 16:30 Recalibrating expectations 19:00 Living up to promises 24:00 advertising model) vs subscriber model 27:30 Building those relationships 29:30 Make or Break in Design Ops 33:15 Slow consistent progress vs immediate results 37:00 Clients confusion about our role 41:15 Judging your success 45:00 Community building expectations 48:00 Our hope for the community 50:00 How we can help realize that wish 51:30 Resources --- [ 2. LINKS ] --- https://www.linkedin.com/in/msmeredithblack/ https://x.com/msmeredithblack DesignOps Assembly - https://www.designopsassembly.com/ Kate Towsey's Books - https://katetowsey.com/book DesignOps Summit 2024- https://rosenfeldmedia.com/designops-summit/2024/register/ --- [ 3. CIRCLE ] --- Join our private community for in-house service design professionals. https://servicedesignshow.com/circle
Sure, AI is pretty cool, but have you heard of something called Retrieval-Augmented-Generation (RAG)... We don't often spotlight specific tech on the Show, but RAG? I firmly believe that RAG has the potential to shake up service design in a big way. Imagine having a super-powered teammate on every project. This teammate has the ability to recall every meeting, every workshop, and every sticky note, not just yours but your entire team's, even from years ago. Not just yours but your whole team's. Ask them a question, and a few seconds later, they've got the answer. It's like being able to have a conversation with your entire project history. Just think about the impact of this for a moment. Now, we all know about those fancy Large Language Models (LLMs) like ChatGPT. Amazing, right? But they're not trained on your data. Ask them about your project, and you'll get... well, something made up. But what if you could combine the conversational magic of LLMs with the deep knowledge of your own data? In a nutshell, this is RAG's promise. It lets those powerful LLMs tap into your world, giving you answers that are not only smart, but relevant. I've been tinkering with RAG to unlock the wisdom hidden in our Circle community discussions. But I'm far from an expert, so I brought in someone who is: Kirk Marple, founder of GraphLit, a startup using RAG to make your knowledge AI-friendly. In our conversation we dove deep. How do we even start with RAG? Do you need to be a coder? How do we make sure the answers you get are any good? What about privacy when AI sees your data? And that's just the start to be honest. What struck me was Kirk's idea that using AI is more art than science. It's about 'prompt sculpting', not (just) engineering. There's a lot of gray area, and that's where we as a design community shine. We should be all over this AI thing... What do you think? --- [ 1. GUIDE ] --- 00:00 Welcome to Episode 209 05:00 What Kirk does in life 10:00 AI for content discovery 14:00 AI and service design 16:00 Data retrieval with AI 19:00 Tracking unstructured data 22:00 Podcast metadata example 24:30 Vector search explained 30:00 AI vs human experience 35:00 Privacy concerns with AI 37:30 Large language models and understanding 41:00 Importance of graphs in AI 44:30 AI: art or science? 48:00 AI's growth and data processing 51:30 AI agents 56:00 Kirk's AI roadmap 57:30 Tips for AI beginners 59:00 Common AI terms 1:01:00 AI resources --- [ 2. LINKS ] --- https://www.linkedin.com/in/kirkmarple/ https://www.graphlit.com/ --- [ 3. CIRCLE ] --- Join our private community for in-house service design professionals. https://servicedesignshow.com/circle
How can we leave the world in a better place than we inherited it... And what's design's role in all of this? In this episode, we tackle these big questions with Steve Baty. Steve is an author, former political candidate, the current CEO of the Australian Design Council, and co-founder of the renowned Meld Studios. He joins us to confront the undeniable breakdown of our existing systems. Yes, as we've discussed in previous episodes, redesigning these systems is daunting, but Steve believes a turnaround is possible – and urgent. We explore how today's design decisions shape tomorrow's world, balancing profit with doing good for our planet. And I ask Steve the burning question: How can we know we're on the right track when our work's impact won't be felt for generations? But don't worry, I can assure you this isn't just about lofty ideals. We also discuss practical steps we all can take right now to make a difference. It's a good reminder that every monumental shift begins with the small steps. For me, this episode joins the playlist that makes us rethink what good (service) design looks like. So, I would love to hear from you: What does good design mean to you in the context of creating a better world? --- [ 1. GUIDE ] --- 00:00 Welcome to Episode 208 04:00 Who is Steve 07:00 Better Planet for Our Kids 09:30 Design's Role 13:00 The Landfill Problem 14:30 Why Haven't We Solved It? 17:00 Old Ways, New Challenges 18:00 Potential Changes 21:45 Decision-Making for Longevity 24:30 Designer's Dilemma 27:30 Staying Positive 30:34 Measuring Success 33:00 Products vs. Services 37:00 Reconnecting People and Nature 41:00 Accelerating Change 44:00 Government Intervention 45:30 What to Do? 48:30 Good Design Defined 51:00 Designing Standards 53:00 Final Thoughts --- [ 2. LINKS ] --- https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevebaty/ Designing Tomorrow by Steve Baty & Martin Tomitsch (Book) - https://www.designingtomorrowbook.com/ --- [ 3. CIRCLE ] --- Join our private community for in-house service design professionals. https://servicedesignshow.com/circle
Ever felt trapped in a service you couldn't escape... Trying to end a subscription only to face a frustrating maze of hurdles? Let's face it, service endings are often the worst experience ever. The good news is that it doesn't have to be this way. In fact, well-designed endings can be a secret weapon for your business. Think about it – when customers inevitably move on, what's the final impression they take with them? Sadly, most companies neglect or wilfully ignore this crucial stage of the customer lifecycle. They hide the cancel button, throw obstacles in your path, and make leaving feel like a punishment. It's a missed opportunity because, historically, businesses have focused all their energy on acquiring new customers rather than on gracefully saying goodbye. But what if we flipped the script? What if endings felt like graduations, where we celebrate customers moving on to new adventures? Could those who leave become our biggest fans? This isn't just a pipe dream. Joe Macleod, who's literally written the book on this topic (twice!), joins us on the Show to share how to design endings that leave a positive, lasting impact. We'll unpack the secrets of great endings, how they differ from beginnings, and the undeniable business case for getting this right. Trust me, this episode is an eye-opener. Once you hear it, you'll see opportunities everywhere to turn departing customers into brand ambassadors. So, if you don't want all your hard work building good customer relationships to go to waste when they leave, tune in and learn how to make every goodbye a fond farewell (and maybe even a new beginning!). --- [ 1. GUIDE ] --- 00:00 Welcome to episode 207 05:30 About Joe and Endings 07:00 Ending Journey 08:30 Joe's Passion for Endings 15:00 Businesses & Endings 18:00 Businesses & Status Quo? 20:00 Reassurance Endings 24:30 Divorce example 27:00 Measuring quality of an ending 35:00 Endings & Memberships 38:00 Alumni or Death Phase? 43:00 Healthcare Offboarding Example 47:00 Ex-Customers = Value 51:00 Importance of Alumnis 53:00 Pondering about Endings 55:00 3rd Book Preview 57:00 Giveaway announcement 58:00 Resources 59:00 Key Takeaways --- [ 2. LINKS ] --- https://www.linkedin.com/in/josephmacleod/ Endineering by Joe Macleod (Book) - https://www.andend.co/endineeringbook Ends by Joe Macleod (book) - https://www.andend.co/book www.andend.co --- [ 3. CONTEST ] --- To enter the contest, head over to the video version of this conversation on YouTube and leave a comment there to answer the question posed in the episode. https://go.servicedesignshow.com/207-youtube --- [ 4. CIRCLE ] --- Join our private community for in-house service design professionals. https://servicedesignshow.com/circle
Let's crack the code of proving design's impact on the bottom line... For this, we first have to go back to 2012. That year, a groundbreaking discovery was made at CERN. The existence of the Higgs Boson, a particle that had eluded scientists for over 40 years, was finally proven. You know what? I feel that this elusive quest is very similar to our own pursuit in the world of service design: proving the undeniable business value of design. We see its impact all around us, but providing it with hard evidence remains a struggle. Our guest this week, Ryan Rumsey, may hold the key that gets us closer to unlocking this mystery. One reason the Higgs Boson took so long to find was that the researchers were unsure where to look. As former Apple executive, author of "Business Thinking for Designers," and founder of the Chief Design Officer School, Ryan proposes that we, just as the researchers at CERN, may have been looking in the wrong place all along. Many companies, he argues, don't actually need (good) design to turn a profit, which makes it difficult to isolate its added value. But fear not, there are tested and tried methods to uncover the correlation between our work and its impact on the bottom line. As you'll hear in this episode, it might not be as complex as we sometimes are made to believe; it could simply be a matter of putting in the work. The discovery of the Higgs Boson faced similar challenges, requiring unwavering determination and persistence. This is an episode about business speak, statistics and our self-worth. And somehow, it's still quite entertaining if you ask me. So if you're even remotely interested being able to clearly articulate the value you bring to your organization, you don't miss out on this one! I echo Ryan's argument that every design professional, even those in-house, should embrace an entrepreneurial spirit. Understanding marketing, positioning, and even sales can be immensely beneficial. Ryan is truly one of a kind, and I'm always grateful to be able to learn from him. I hope you enjoy our conversation as much as I did. ~ Marc --- [ 1. GUIDE ] --- 00:00 Welcome to Episode 206 07:00 OKRs & KPIs 13:00 Rethinking Measurement 16:00 Strategy Mapping 22:00 Statistician Thinking 29:30 Measuring Impact 32:00 Google's Money Machine 33:30 The Implication 37:00 Beyond Best Service 37:30 Apple vs Dell: Design? 42:00 Management & Narrative 48:30 Design vs. Innovation 49:30 Minto Pyramid 52:30 EasyJet Example 57:30 Defining Good Work 1:02:45 Community Matters 1:08:00 Key Takeaways 1:09:30 How You Can Help Ryan --- [ 2. LINKS ] --- https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanrumsey/ https://www.letsjumpship.com/ --- [ 3. CIRCLE ] --- Join our private community for in-house service design professionals. https://servicedesignshow.com/circle
Good Services... A book that has quickly become a classic in our field. If you haven't read it yet, it's a must. It outlines the 10 principles of good services, which is pretty fundamental stuff. But even before writing it, Lou Downe was already an icon, creating impact as the Director of Design at the Government Digital Service in the UK. So when I heard through the grapevine that there was a sequel in the making, I just had to invite Lou back to the show. Interestingly enough, our conversation started with a question: Why, even after all these years, are we still trying to justify the value we bring to the table? There's nothing wrong with articulating our value, of course. But how can we make it a two-way street, rather than all the burden falling on us, the design community? These days, Lou runs the School of Good Design, where they help professionals tackle this very challenge. So in this episode, we get to tap into a wealth of practical advice based on their experience. But we didn't stop there. We also dive into: * What has changed since "Good Services" was published in 2020? * What drove Lou to write a follow-up, and how will it differ from the first one? * What does the future hold for service design? Lou dropped a surprise during our conversation. As the new book is still in the works, there's a unique opportunity for you to contribute! You'll hear all the details in the episode. --- [ 1. GUIDE ] --- 00:00 Welcome (keep the same) 04:00 Beyond Design Justification 05:20 Good Services Journey 08:00 The Gap: Bad Services 13:30 Finding Value's Middle Ground 16:00 External Validation 19:00 Misunderstanding Service Design 25:00 Lightbulb Moment 28:30 Great Service Example 31:30 Design vs. Service Pros 35:00 Understanding the Service 37:00 Service "Designers" debate 44:00 Understanding your role 48:00 Grow Service Design Skills 51:00 The New Service Book 53:00 New Book vs. Good Services 55:00 How We Can Help 56:30 Wrapping Up --- [ 2. LINKS ] --- https://www.linkedin.com/in/lou-downe-757a83b/ https://good.services/ https://good.services/home https://good.services/deadendspodcast https://good.services/contact --- [ 3. CIRCLE ] --- Join our private community for in-house service design professionals. https://servicedesignshow.com/circle
What are the materials of service design... A seemingly simple question, but one that I believe has the potential to reshape our understanding of service design. Historically, design has always been about shaping and manipulating materials to give form to things around us. It's only in recent years, with the popularization of design thinking, that design has drifted away from its roots and heritage of a craft. The focus shifted on -sometimes mindlessly- following a flawed double diamond process. Even though people over the recent years have tried to raise the question of what the materials of service design are, the conversation never really caught on. Something tells me that's about to change with the release of the book "The Materials of Service Design." (links below) This book, in my opinion, marks a turning point in the history of our field. Yes, I absolutely feel it's that important, and no, I'm not getting any commissions on the book sales. It offers a fresh, materials-based perspective that adds a much needed nuance and richness to how we think about service design. Imagine being able to have constructive conversations about designing with time, relationships, culture, and all the other materials that make up services. Imagine understanding the properties of these materials deeply enough to co-create a shared library of service design patterns. The implications are huge. This approach once again makes it clear that services can't be designed by a single person; they require the involvement of experts from many areas. It also challenges us to reimagine how we teach service design. All in all, it really does open up a world of new questions and possibilities. As you hopefully can read, I'm excited about the direction and trajectory that could take us. So, join Simon Clatworthy, co-author of the book, and myself as we dive into this exciting new perspective of a materials-based approach to service design. --- [ 1. GUIDE ] --- 00:00 Welcome to Episode 204 04:30 Beyond the Toolkit 08:00 The 4 Unexpected Materials 11:00 Lost Essential? 16:30 Service Design vs. Design Thinking 20:00 Skills for Designing Services 24:00 Unveiling the Book's Materials 30:00 Data as Material: Conversations 34:00 Shaping Conversations 42:00 Time: A Material to Master 44:30 Measuring Time in Design 46:30 Specialization in Service Design 49:00 The Rise of Service Design Specialists 51:00 Co-Design: Your Service Design Team 54:30 The Responsibility of Design 58:00 Implications for Service Designers 1:01:00 Beyond Designers: Service Experts 1:06:00 The "Taste Buds" of a Service 1:07:00 A Library of Service Materials 1:09:00 Aesthetics of Service Design --- [ 2. LINKS ] --- https://www.linkedin.com/in/simon-clatworthy The Materials of Service Design (Book) - https://go.servicedesignshow.com/yl2ym 50% discount on the print copy with code: BLOM50 (valid until 31st July 2024) How to Read A Film by James Monaco (Book) - https://a.co/d/8Rv0ZE5 --- [ 3. CIRCLE ] --- Join our private community for in-house service design professionals. https://servicedesignshow.com/circle
What does it take to become a great design leader... Regardless of whether or not it's in your official job title, you're already leading to some degree. You are leading because your work is to deliver change. Change because we want to break free from outdated mental models that can't solve today's challenges. But what kind of leadership is needed to transform our organizations from the dehumanizing machines they are today into adaptable living beings? Returning guest Marzia Arico has some valuable perspectives on this. With a PhD in Organizational Studies and experience leading complex projects at LiveWork, she has many juicy insights to share with us. In this episode, we explore the emergence of a new, more empathetic leadership style that's quite different from the traditional notion of leadership. We discuss how to present ourselves confidently in our work, even when imposter syndrome is lurking around the corner. And we also delve into whether we should be explicit about the change we seek make or take a more trojan horse approach to influencing things. This is a must-listen episode for anyone who wants to step up, take charge, and offer an alternative to the current leaders who aren't doing what's required today. This conversation is a powerful reminder that we are all setting an example. Each and every day. So let's be intentional about what we want to put into the world. Take care and keep making a positive impact. ~ Marc --- [ 1. GUIDE ] --- 00:00 Welcome to Episode 203 03:30 Welcome back Marzia 04:30 Machines to Living Beings 11:30 What made her want to make the change 17:00 How to quickly build your confidence 21:30 From Machines to Living Orgs 30:30 Onboard with How, Not What 33:30 Conversation with the oblivious 40:00 Empathizing with the machine 42:00 The example of technology 46:00 Fast-tracking to leadership 47:00 Being strategic when you talk 50:30 Discussions to ponder 51:30 Food for thought --- [ 2. LINKS ] --- https://www.linkedin.com/in/marziaarico https://design.mavericks.substack.com https://strategicdesignbook.com/ --- [ 3. CIRCLE ] --- Join our private community for in-house service design professionals. https://servicedesignshow.com/circle
Why is it that we rarely question the systems that govern our day-to-day lives? Imagine building a rocket ship while still believing the sun revolves around the earth. Even though this sounds ridiculous today, it's not that long ago that this was the accepted notion. When Galileo first made the claim that it was actually the other way around, he even got jail time. Yeah, people don't really like it when their fundamental beliefs are put up for scrutiny. Our history is full of "truths" we later debunked. Okay, so what does this have to do with service design What if you're currently designing services that are based on flawed beliefs? There's certainly reason to think so. So, in this week's episode, we explore what these beliefs could be. For that, I have invited Fang-Jui Chang from the Dark Matter Labs to join us at the Show. In the conversation we dive into the hidden systems we take for granted, like ownership, currency, and even government. Fair warning: This episode will challenge your assumptions. It might even feel a bit like mental jiu-jitsu at first (it surely did for me). But once things click, a whole new world of possibilities opens up. And judging by the news, I would argue that we need a radical new perspective on how our world operates in many areas. So join me for a conversation that will challenge the way you see the world, question some fundamental "truths" and give you some fresh insights along the way. This is one of those episodes where I had to let the ideas marinade a bit. It's all too easy to dismiss them because they seem incompatible with how our existing worldview. But defer judgment, and you might be surprised what happens. Take care and keep making a positive impact. ~ Marc --- [ 1. GUIDE ] --- 00:00 Welcome to Episode 202 04:00 Who is Fang-Jui 07:00 How she got into SD 10:00 Lightning Round 12:30 All beings thriving 18:30 Outdated systems fail 23:00 Asking a river permission 30:00 What we took for granted 38:30 How to prevent overwhelm 46:00 Moving forward without panic 48:00 The skill that will help 51:30 what we can to help 1:01:00 where to reach them 1:01:30 One thing you can remember --- [ 2. LINKS ] --- https://radiclecivics.cc https://darkmatterlabs.org https://twitter.com/darkmatter_labs https://www.linkedin.com/company/darkmatterlabs Please get in touch with the Radicle Civics team via radiclecivics@darkmatterlabs.org if you are interested in building proof of possibilities in your cities or communities and funding the work. --- [ 3. CIRCLE ] --- Join our private community for in-house service design professionals. https://servicedesignshow.com/circle
My daughter dared me to 15 meters free-fall... I was on a climbing track with her, and this was one of the "attractions." Of course, she had taken the plunge without shedding a sweat. So, there I was standing on the edge, ready to take the jump, while everything in my body was screaming NO. I hesitated, terrified... but backing out was not an option. Especially not when a 10-year old girl is cheering dad on from the ground. Sometimes, you just have to leap into the unknown and trust that things will turn out alright. Our guest this week, Lilli Graf, also took a massive leap. She left a safe job at a respected design agency to go independent and start her own business. Why? Because she knew 'less bad' isn't good enough anymore when it comes to our climate crisis. Her journey in the last few years has thrown up many challenges. So, I wanted to know what kept her going, what she had learned so far, and what she would have done differently, looking back. Of course, we also had to talk about what pushed her over the edge to make the leap in the first place. This episode is about way more than climate solutions (though those are fascinating). It's about YOU... As service design professionals, we champion change. We push our clients to step into the unknown. But how often do we do that same? I hope this honest and open conversation will inspire you to leap more often. What fascinated me is how well Lilli's story shows the ripple effect of our choices. From childhood to career, it all connects. What will your next ripple be? --- [ 1. GUIDE ] --- 00:00 Welcome to Episode 201 03:00 Who is Lilli 04:00 how Lilli heard about SD 05:15 Lightning Round 06:15 Community needs to reflect 11:15 Why Lilli needed to Step Back 13:30 Moving to the sustainability spectrum 19:30 World that's not going to be here 22:30 Black foot tribe 25:00 The responses / the results 29:15 Crisis to nature and to ourselves 33:15 How do I preserve this life? 39:15 What Imma Collective is doing 45:00 The biggest challenge 49:00 Do it with Joy and patience 50:30 The journey most proud of so far 51:30 One piece of advise 54:30 How to embark in this journey too --- [ 2. LINKS ] --- https://www.linkedin.com/in/elisabeth-lilli-graf/ https://www.immacollective.com/ Change by Design by Tim Brown (Book) Everyday Utopia: What 2,000 Years of Wild Experiments Can Teach Us About the Good Life by Kristen R. Ghodsee (Book) --- [ 3. CIRCLE ] --- Join our private community for in-house service design professionals. https://servicedesignshow.com/circle
Recently, I turned 43... I don't really celebrate my birthdays anymore. Don't worry; I have an amazing wife who makes sure there's always cake. But I do always try to take a moment and reflect on my past year because “The only time you should ever look back, is to see how far you've come.” Well, today, it's not just about my journey; it's about ours. We've hit a massive Service Design Show milestone: 200 episodes! That's a new interview every two weeks for over 8 years. And by now, we've clocked in over 500.000 listens to our conversations. Truly mind-boggling. Especially when you consider how niche our field is (still). It tells me what I do matters to people like you. Honestly, if I had to, I'd still do this show just for my own learning... but knowing you're out there makes it so much better. To celebrate, I'm flipping the script. For this episode, it's me answering YOUR questions. Some are about service design, some get a bit personal... Here's a sneak peek: Is Journey Management the next big thing? Will service design disappear? How does the Show make money? How do I keep sane working solo? You might be surprised by some of the answers. Guess, there's only one way to find out... This episode was a lot of fun and quite a challenge to produce. Let me know if you like this format – maybe we'll do a follow up... Take care, ~ Marc --- [ 1. GUIDE ] --- 00:00 Welcome to episode 200 01:50 Why Service Design 04:30 Lessons learned from 200+ conversations 10:15 The business model 16:15 How to stay healthy and sane 25:00 Communicating service design 31:00 Designing timeless services 36:00 Is Journey Management the next big thing 40:00 Where are things going --- [ 2. LINKS ] --- https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcfonteijn/ https://www.servicedesignshow.com/circle/ --- [ 3. CIRCLE ] --- Join our private community with smart and generous in-house service design professionals. https://servicedesignshow.com/circle
Is design facing a crisis? You don't have to spend much time on LinkedIn to read about the recent layoffs, studio closures, and debates about our value. Whether or not you call it a crisis, it's hard to deny that things have been shaken up recently. But instead of focusing on surface level symptoms, let's dive deeper. In this episode, we sit down with Yvonne Tran, design director at the New York Times, to explore the underlying forces that shape design. Where are we coming from, and what could be its next destination. Why is design in its current state? Is this a backlash against the widespread understanding of "design thinking"? If everyone's a designer, what's the unique value a professional brings? Despite the challenges, Yvonne still sees a bright future for design. As our clients and colleagues evolve and mature, so must we. In our conversation, Yvonne outlined three key areas where design can continue to provide unique value. A thought-provoking episode for anyone interested in new ways to think about how to keep playing a meaningful role in the future. It's all too easy to get bogged down in the daily grind. What I enjoyed about this conversation with Yvonne is that we zoomed out and challenged our perspectives. Let's look beyond the horizon of this quarter and make decisions that are grounded in a long-term perspective. Inspired? Share this with someone who needs to hear it. Take care, ~ Marc --- [ 1. GUIDE ] --- 00:00 Welcome to Episode 199 03:30 Who is Yvonne 04:30 How she stumbled to SD 06:00 Lightning Round 10:00 Design, Designers, & Innovation 14:00 The promise of design thinking 17:30 What's the impact 27:00 The new role of design community 37:00 Aligning people's expectations 39:30 How to accelerate demand 44:00 How to measure success 48:30 One takeaway --- [ 2. LINKS ] --- https://www.linkedin.com/in/yvonnetran/ Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer (Book) - https://a.co/d/3Jho54D --- [ 3. CIRCLE ] --- Join our private community for in-house service design professionals. https://servicedesignshow.com/circle
This has to stop... I don't care what they say. Chatbots s*ck. But we, as service design professionals, have the power to make things better. Sure, ChatGPT and Google Gemini are impressive tools, but a chatbot on a company's website? Probably one of the most frustrating experiences you can have these days. This trend toward replacing humans in service delivery is a growing concern. There's nothing wrong with trying to optimize processes. It becomes a problem when it's done in a mindless way to solely cut costs at the expense of the user experience. Our guest, Cameron Tonkinwise, makes a compelling case for preserving the human element in service delivery. Because removing this vital component erodes something incredibly valuable that AI (or any other tech) can't and will never be able to replicate. As you can imagine, simply pointing out the problem isn't enough. So, in our conversation, we explore how to make a strong case for human-driven services... even to the most skeptical stakeholders. Spoiler: Waiting for our clients to change their minds isn't the answer. It requires a proactive approach on our part. If you work in a product or tech-driven environment, this episode will hopefully give you the energy and ideas to challenge the relentless push for short-term optimization. The chat with Cameron reminded me that we have a responsibility to design the future we want to see rather than just being of service to others. Enjoy the conversation and keep making a positive impact! Take care, ~ Marc --- [ 1. GUIDE ] --- 00:00 This is Episode 198 04:00 Who is Cameron 05:00 How he stumbled to SD 12:30 the current perspective to SD 15:00 the ideal outcome 16:45 A vastly uneducated community 24:00 Why the model isn't adopted 26:00 How to support the current economy 29:30 Hockey puck story 33:30 Thoughts in AI 39:00 What you can be offering 41:30 Expressing the need 45:00 Importance of frontline observation 50:00 One practical takeaway 52:00 Connect with Cameron --- [ 2. LINKS ] --- https://www.linkedin.com/in/cameron-tonkinwise-80a5987/ --- [ 3. CIRCLE ] --- Join our private community for in-house service design professionals. https://servicedesignshow.com/circle
Imagine that you had the power to look into the future... That you could escape from the short-term focus and envision a world years or even decades away. And on top of this, you'd be able to turn this vision into something real, a roadmap to guide your decisions today. Wouldn't that change everything? Now, this episode won't give you a crystal ball, but it might be the next best thing. We all know that the challenges we face today require different ways of thinking in order to solve them. If we continue on the trajectory we're currently on, our future isn't looking very bright, to say the least. In order to create a different, better future, we have to first imagine it. But with our world changing so fast, how can we even predict tomorrow, let alone years from now? Aren't we just better off focussing on the here and now? Not according to our guest, Ali Draudt. Ali teaches us that predicting the future is a hidden superpower of designers. Lucky for us, Ali is an expert – author of "What the Foresight," holding a degree in Design Strategy and Strategic Foresight, and is currently the Head of Innovation and Design Strategy at Nike. In this episode, you'll hear how to: Explore worldviews that might be radically different from your own. Challenge your existing beliefs and biases to imagine the seemingly impossible. Use practical tools to make abstract futures tangible. So, if you're to unleash your hidden superpower and make better decisions today you'll be in for a treat! Talking with Ali reminded me that the dots only connect in hindsight. The only way to make those breakthrough, serendipitous connections is by continuing to explore things that seem irrelevant now. Enjoy and keep making a positive impact. ~ Marc --- [ 1. GUIDE ] --- 00:00 Welcome to Episode 197 04:00 Who is Ali 04:45 How Ali Stumbled into Service Design 06:30 Lightning Round 08:00 Moving beyond antromorphic design 10:30 What's truly human-centered 17:30 Adopting to this practice 21:00 Next big thing to go beyond 24:00 Changing levels of zoom 31:00 Coping mechanism on the speed 38:00 Using the Steep Model in Teams 40:00 4 archetypes to future potentials 45:30 What good work look like 49:30 Co-creation mode 50:45 What I hope you'd remember --- [ 2. LINKS ] --- https://www.linkedin.com/in/alidadraudt/ The Thing from the Future (Team-building game) https://situationlab.org/project/the-thing-from-the-future/ The Ministry for the Future - Kim Stanley Robinson (Book) https://a.co/d/992fmv5 --- [ 3. CIRCLE ] --- Join our private community for in-house service design professionals. https://servicedesignshow.com/circle
Here is something that makes many service design professionals cringe... The question to quantify the impact design has on the company goals. You'll see that finding the answer to this question is actually surprisingly easier (and more fun) than you might think. Here's a business mantra you might have heard before: If it's not being measured, it's not important. Numbers rule. That's that cold, hard reality of how companies operate. Now, as a design community, we've always struggled to quantify the value we bring to tangible business outcomes. Sure, there are valid reasons – we often work on systemic challenges where it's hard to make a water-tight correlation between our efforts and the specific impact they have on the goals. There are just many factors at play that have an influence, and isolating our contribution is hard or, rather, impossible. So, we often get hung up on this attribution question as we feel we can't "prove" how much we've contributed. Even if we want to measure our contribution, we find that the right measuring processes aren't in place to do so. So, we'd rather focus our time and energy on solving the actual challenge at hand than implementing those processes from the ground up. And let's be real, not many of us wake up excited about capturing things in a spreadsheet. So yes, there are reasons why quantifying the impact of design is hard and often lacking. But, as we've recently seen, we're paying a high price for this. Just scroll through your LinkedIn feed to see many sad examples of that playing out. When budgets tighten, design often takes the hit as it can't show, in numbers, its contribution to the business. Okay, I know this hasn't been a very uplifting message so far. But here's the good news. There is a group of professionals out there who absolutely love design and thrive on these types of measurement challenges. Of course, I'm referring to our friends from the DesignOps community. When we collaborate closely together, we have the power to anchor design as an indispensable strategic discipline. At least that's the firm conviction of Patrizia Bertini, our guest in this episode. Patrizia, shares her journey of implementing measurement frameworks that facilitate healthier conversations between design professionals and business stakeholders. In the conversation, we dive into the juicy stuff like value attribution, measuring systemic impact, and prototyping with numbers. I can't guarantee this episode will turn you into a spreadsheet enthusiast, but it will definitely inspire you to be BFFs with someone who loves crunching numbers. Let's face it; we might sometimes feel intimidated by numbers. We want to prove with scientific rigor that things are the way we say. But here's a secret: educated guesses are everything you need... Enjoy the chat and keep making a positive impact! ~ Marc --- [ 1. GUIDE ] --- 00:00 Welcome to Episode 196 03:30 Who is Patricia 04:15 Patricia's first Service Design encounter 05:00 Lightning Round 06:30 Thoughts about design identity 12:00 The decline of strategic design 16:30 Unpacking data triangulation 21:00 Identifying problem in onboarding 24:45 Design thinking for business problems 30:00 Going against the system's structure 32:30 Initiating organizational values 42:00 The impact of translating what the business is 46:00 How to bridge the gap 51:30 Who should be accountable? 56:00 What to avoid and what we should do --- [ 2. LINKS ] --- http://linkedin.com/in/patriziabertini --- [ 3. CIRCLE ] --- Join our private community for in-house service design professionals. https://servicedesignshow.com/circle
What's the most important tool in your service design toolbox? No, it's not a fancy piece of software or a groundbreaking methodology. The most important tool is you. A bit cheesy? Perhaps. True? Absolutely! Let me explain. You're the enabler for all actions leading to positive change. It's easy to overlook the importance of keeping this tool—yourself—in top shape. And you can only deliver your best work when you're healthy and happy. If you're drained by unfulfilling work or feel your talent is going to waste, all the other tools in your kit won't matter. So, how do we get to a place where we do work that gives us joy and motivates us to get up in the morning? That's the theme of the conversation with our guest, Frances Yllana. Frances shares practical ways to align our work with our purpose. And we discuss the importance of prioritizing conscious career development, even in busy times. As you'll hear, the great thing is we can apply many tools and methods from our own toolbox to achieve this. This episode is all about making sure you do the work you want to do, not just the work you know how to do. Yes, the stakes are high! The conversation with Frances inspired me to spend even more time understanding myself—when do I operate best and deliver my most valuable work? There's a lot of power in knowing yourself, so hopefully, it will get you in this mood as well. Keep making a positive impact. ~ Marc --- [ 1. GUIDE ] --- 00:00 Welcome to Episode 195 03:30 Who is Frances 04:00 How she stumbled to Service Design 05:30 Lightning Round 08:45 Finding purpose by doing work outside of our work 10:30 What lead to this thinking 14:30 How the purpose translated 18:30 Increasing the chance of clarity 20:30 Insights to figuring out what you should be pursuing 27:00 How we can identify the impact that we are contributing 32:45 A knack for recognizing wins 39:30 Helpful methods to help you find purpose in your work 43:30 Piece of advice --- [ 2. LINKS ] --- https://www.linkedin.com/in/francesy/ SunsayS.cool - https://www.sundays.cool/ Send a letter of gratitude to someone - https://www.sundays.cool/praise --- [ 3. CIRCLE ] --- Join our private community for in-house service design professionals. https://servicedesignshow.com/circle
Design is at risk of being misused and exploited... Wow, I had to let that sink in for a moment. It's not the first thing that comes to my mind when I think of the service design community. I generally see a bunch of optimistic and passionate professionals dedicated to making the services around us better. However, our latest guest, George Aye, delivers an important wake-up call. George argues that when we solely focus on the feasibility aspect of our work, we fall into the trap of contributing to challenges that aren't aligned with our values. It's not enough to merely ask whether we can do something. As a practice, we must take responsibility and hold each other more accountable for the impact we have on the people that we serve. The key question, according to George, is whether we should contribute to a particular challenge. No challenge is too small for thorough scrutiny. We need to overcome the idea that we should get involved in every project and demand higher ethical standards from ourselves and our clients. But what does this mean in practice? In our conversation, George, who leads a highly respected design studio, spills the beans on how his team holds him accountable for the clients and projects they take on. Why he has written over 50 break-up letters to clients and the importance of the "gut-check" tool as the crucial compass for guiding their decision-making process. This conversation might make you uncomfortable at times—I certainly felt that way. Yet, I wouldn't have wanted to miss it for a moment, and I believe you might feel the same after listening. The topic is too important to ignore. One statement from George that continues to resonate with me: When a lawyer or doctor makes a mistake, they lose their license. What are the consequences when a design professional screws up? This is a key question we must address to mature our field. Enjoy the conversation and keep making a positive impact. ~ Marc --- [ 1. GUIDE ] --- 00:00 Welcome to Episode 194 03:45 Who is George 04:30 Lightning Round 08:00 Should we do it? 10:30 Am I asking this question enough? 14:30 A Project promoting unhealthy behaviors 20:00 Guns and tobacco 22:15 The risk of getting fired and it's trade-offs 26:15 How can we know when to speak up? 30:45 Examples when making a wrong judgment call 31:15 The Gut check 48:15 What to do when it doesn't play out well 53:45 How do we bring this to a broader community? 57:15 Moral injury --- [ 2. LINKS ] --- LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgeaye/ George's studio: http://greatergoodstudio.com/ The Social Change by Design Database: https://airtable.com/appxBXOcR6tqV5phJ/shrmOgXzu5DD2NlYC/tbltgZ0yFEmLkqqJe Sign up for the fireside chat: - https://go.servicedesignshow.com/kdpbv --- [ 3. CIRCLE ] --- Join our private community for in-house service design professionals. https://servicedesignshow.com/circle
Could it be that we're missing the ultimate metric of success? If I asked you about the metrics driving your organization, I bet revenue, costs, and profit would top the list. Sure, staying in business means earning money, and for most organizations, growing profit has been the default mode of operation. But here's the catch: more money shouldn't, and frankly can't, be the end goal. We all feel the consequences of that mindset today. So, if profit isn't the ultimate metric of success, what could be the alternative? Our guest, Alan Moore, has an inspiring take on this. According to Alan, the metric to optimize our business for is beauty. Yes, you read that right, beauty. Now, I know this will sound a bit unconventional for some organizations, but just because beauty isn't a recognized metric doesn't mean it lacks importance. Just imagine a world where we actually would optimize for beauty instead of profit. Intriguing, right? So, is this just wishful thinking? Surely not! In our conversation, Alan shares practical tools and examples of companies that have embraced this philosophy, taking the first step toward a more beautiful business. This is one of those conversations that could open up a whole new area in your opportunity space that will help you design better services. What resonates with me about Alan's story? It's aspirational. It challenges the mainstream narrative and demands courage to follow this path. Perfect for the design community to embrace if you ask me --- [ 1. GUIDE ] --- 00:00 Welcome to Episode 193 07:15 Who is Alan 08:30 How he stumbled upon Service Design 10:15 Lightning Round 11:30 Beauty will change the world 16:15 Why is it about beauty 22:45 3 Steps to Reset 28:45 How to look at the world differently 37:00 Steps in the "Do" Stage 47:45 When should we push reset? 49:15 Applying the work you're doing today 50:45 The point is to strive 52:15 How to know you're making progress 1:00:15 What you can do today --- [ 2. LINKS ] --- https://uk.linkedin.com/in/alanmoore2 https://beautiful.business https://thebeautifuldesignproject.com/ No Straight Lines by Alan Moore (book) - https://a.co/d/9metoPr Do Design by Alan Moore (book) https://thedobook.co/products/do-design-why-beauty-is-key-to-everything --- [ 3. CIRCLE ] --- Join our private community for in-house service design professionals. https://servicedesignshow.com/circle
Here's a crazy idea... Imagine you had a team of service design superheroes by your side. A team that helps you take on the status quo head-on, challenging organizational inertia with confidence. As service design professionals, we're playing the long game. Change is a journey, and navigating tough times is part of adventure. Over the holidays, I read "The Long Game". In the book, the author underscores the importance of a strong support group to overcome short-term challenges and bridge the unavoidable chasm of doubt. Well, enter the Circle community – our, or rather your, team of service design superheroes. If you've been following my work, you'll know that we've been carefully building this support group over the last three years. Since day one, the Circle has been an ongoing prototype, and (fortunately) not everything works out as we plan. In this episode, you get a peek behind the curtains as we share the lessons learned from the past year. You'll also hear about our hopes for the future and what the next iteration of the Circle could look like. The insights aren't just for those creating their own (internal) community; they will resonate with anyone on a journey of professional growth. Having experienced the Circle firsthand, I have no doubt that actively exposing yourself to your peers' thoughts, ideas, and experiences is the most effective way to evolve into a mature and well-rounded professional. --- [ 1. GUIDE ] --- 00:00 Circle Retrospective 2023 Special Episode 02:45 Welcome Brian & Hayden 03:45 How the Circle evolved 08:15 The Most helpful Dinner Table Session 11:00 What we will be exploring more 12:15 What's important for service designers 22:15 Small wins 26:45 Ways How the Circle has expanded 30:45 What to look forward in 2024 36:30 What the Circle Can Look like in 5 years 40:45 How we can improve our practice 44:45 Closing
We've all heard it before... An idea is nothing without execution. As service design professionals, our mission goes beyond doing research and creating future scenarios. We're here to create real, tangible change in the lives of the people we serve. But here's a frustration I'm sure you'll recognize: many insights we uncover eventually never materialize into solutions. It's been a critique of service design for years. Why does this happen? Well, one reason is the handover moments within organizations. Many great ideas die in the transition between people, teams, and departments. Plagued by conflicting agendas, different objectives, and unequal resources. And as service designers, we lack the mandate or authority to see our ideas through to the end. So here's a wild idea: What if there were no handovers? What if service design were the driving force all the way through? In this conversation, we sit down with Brad Alphonso, who's successfully championed this approach within his organization. Service design is now a respected voice shaping customer experiences and influencing the business strategy. We explore with Brad what it takes for service design to play this role within your organization. How can you earn the trust and confidence of those around you, allowing you to take the keys to the car? We also dive into why we must expand our definition of design, step out of our comfort zones, and overcome imposter syndrome to lead the change we want to see. An inspiring conversation based on a real-life case study that will surely give you some new ideas on how to turn ideas into impact. Brad's insights have made me aware again that we need to redefine success as we mature within our organizations. Different stages require different metrics, and failing to adapt can leave us stuck—something to reflect on. Enjoy the conversation! ~ Marc --- [ 1. GUIDE ] --- 00:00 Welcome to Episode 192 06:00 Who is Brad 07:00 How he got into Service Design 10:30 Owning the journey 13:30 First-hand experience to pain 15:30 Should we eliminate the hand-off? 22:00 How they got people in the room 27:00 Meet the desires of the organization first 31:00 What Difference a Holistic Approach Can Make 33:30 Recalibrate what success is 40:00 The development process on how this could be implemented 41:30 The criteria of great work 45:00 When your work evolves the transformation 47:45 The biggest challenge in the shift 50:00 When you can't see immediate progress 53:15 A practical advice --- [ 2. LINKS ] --- https://au.linkedin.com/in/brad-alphonso-637914126 --- [ 3. CIRCLE ] --- Join our private community for in-house service design professionals. https://servicedesignshow.com/circle
In our fast-paced society, we often find ourselves rushing through life. Whether meeting work deadlines or juggling personal commitments, speed and efficiency seem to rule the day. Our interactions with others have become transactional, focused on accomplishing tasks rather than building meaningful connections. Have we lost the art of genuine communication, leaving us feeling pressured and stressed, constantly chasing happiness? Sometimes, it definitely feels so. So what if we paused for a moment? What if we took the time to listen to one another without judgment or hidden agendas? Listening not to prove a point but to understand. Our guest this week, Johnnie Moore, introduces us to the concept of Unhurried Conversations. What started as a simple experiment has grown into a movement. Johnnie shares the origins of this movement, what it is at its core, and how it can be integrated into our busy lives, even in work settings where busyness often defines success. Unhurried Conversations act as a magical lubricant in our interactions, making everything flow more smoothly. I won't spoil the surprise, but if you feel lucky, take a guess about what this magic entails before diving into our conversation. In a world where change takes time, patience is an essential trait for every service design professional. I really do think that embracing an unhurried mindset can be a simple way to strengthen your patience muscle. Enjoy and keep making a positive impact :) ~ Marc --- [ 1. GUIDE ] --- 00:00 Welcome to Episode 191 05:00 Who is Johnnie Moore 05:30 How he stumbled with service design 06:30 Lightning Round 08:00 Topic for today: Have More Faith and Curiosity 10:30 It's not a secret: Unhurried Movement 13:00 The talking stick process 15:00 The experiment 17:00 Current state of Unhurried Movement 20:30 The result when people engage in the process 26:30 What it requires for a participant 30:00 What might not work - The Risk 33:15 The effects, level of progression when you "Unhurry: 35:00 Value in not doing and only listening and repetition 38:00 Advise when doing Unhurried conversation 43:45 Not having an agenda 46:00 Making human connections --- [ 2. LINKS ] --- https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnnie-moore-2323/ unhurried.org https://www.unhurried.org/book The Answer to How Is Yes: Acting on What Matters by Peter Block (Book) - https://a.co/d/dl7L8pJ Reach out directly to Johnnie: johnnie@johnniemoore.com --- [ 3. CIRCLE ] --- Join our private community for in-house service design professionals. https://servicedesignshow.com/circle
Design has failed... There's a growing narrative that design has fallen short, failing to tackle important business challenges and truly impact customers' lives. But let's dive deeper. Was this a predictable narrative from the start? In recent years, design often found itself working within confined parameters, struggling to fit into an agile, time-boxed, and predictable fashion. Trying to responsibly and get in line with the rest of the business. I've seen many talented service design professionals work their *ss off, still trying to deliver the best work within these boundaries. But the odds were always against them. Perhaps it's our optimism or the sheer challenge that leads us to believe we can reshape design to fit within these constraints. We tried, and to some extent, we succeeded. But when we're honest, the result often resembles a watered-down, marginalized version of what design is truly capable of. So, it's not surprising to come across critiques regarding the impact of design. The question is, how do we get ourselves out of this messy situation? Our guest in this episode, James Helms, offers some intriguing insights. One key aspect is to reconnect with design's superpower: crafting solutions that resonate with people on an emotional level. Additionally, we must find ways to get our executive leaders along this journey. Helping them see how it contributes to the bottom line. We can and should also take more responsibility for the work we deliver. If that's not living up to our standards, we need to voice concerns. And when those concerns go unheard, sometimes, we must bravely decide to seek a more supportive environment. If you also sense the potential for design to tackle bigger and more meaningful challenges but struggle with the practicalities, this conversation will give you some food for thought. The conversation with James got me thinking again about the ever-present balance between a business's quest for predictability and the way design works. How predictable can our work be before it loses its magic? Enjoy the episode, and keep making a positive impact! ~ Marc --- [ 1. GUIDE ] --- 00:00 Welcome to Episode 190 05:30 Who is James 08:30 How James came across Service Design 11:00 Lightning Round 13:00 Design's current state 17:15 Design's value at the expense 19:15 The agile process 25:30 Design core values success stories 31:15 How to maintain the status quo? 32:00 Domino Effect 40:00 The Dilemma 50:00 Anecdotal evidence and stories 54:00 Is it our fault? 55:15 What's a better strategy? 1:03:00 Piece of advice 1:08:30 Three tech poles of a great creative 1:10:00 What James is doing now --- [ 2. LINKS ] --- https://www.linkedin.com/in/jameshelmsad/ --- [ 3. CIRCLE ] --- Join our private community for in-house service design professionals. https://servicedesignshow.com/circle
ResearchOps, it's a real game-changer... To drive home why, let me share a personal story. I've been producing this podcast for six years now. There are at least 60 steps that need to be completed before a conversation reaches your ears. Over the years, I've put different systems in place to make the production process run smoother. But here's the interesting part: Today, I spend about the same amount of time on each episode as I did in my first year. So what's changed, you ask? Now that I've standardized and documented the entire process, much of the logistical overhead is out of the way. I use that time to focus on our guests and the quality of our conversation -- the magic happens there. So, what does this have to do with research? Well, what if we applied a similar approach to research? We all know that there's no service design without research. However, getting the time and resources needed for proper research is tough. Research is still often seen as an expense to be minimized rather than the investment it truly is—an investment that multiplies the value of your work down the line. How can we streamline the research process to free up more time for the real magic to happen? Well, that's where ResearchOps comes in! It's a community of passionate professionals looking into how research can be done smarter and deliver more value. Our guest in this episode, Kate Towsey, is at the forefront of this community. In our conversation, we discuss how we, as service design professionals, can benefit from the work done by the ResearchOps community and why service design plays a crucial role in making ResearchOps even better—a beautiful self-reinforcing loop. One important point from my conversation with Kate is that streamlining the research process isn't about doing less research—it's about increasing its quality. Enjoy the chat, and keep making a positive impact! ~ Marc --- [ 1. GUIDE ] --- 00:00 Welcome to Episode 189 05:00 Who is Kate 06:30 How I stumbled into Service Design 09:00 Lightning Round 11:00 Intersection Between ResearchOps and Service Design 14:15 What is ResearchOps? 20:45 Importance of a Research Library 27:00 The Secret to Research 32:00 How it impacts adoption 37:00 What's missing with ResearchOps 44:00 Importance of Research Strategy 48:30 Advise when connecting with a ResearchOps 52:00 The Future of ResearchOps 55:30 Resources --- [ 2. LINKS ] --- https://www.linkedin.com/in/katetowsey/ ResearchOps Community - https://chacha.club/ http://katetowsey.com/ --- [ 3. CIRCLE ] --- Join our private community for in-house service design professionals. https://servicedesignshow.com/circle
There is no way around it; you have to lead... Here's the elephant in the room: Being in a leadership position can be a lonely and isolated endeavor. As service design professionals, we often find ourselves in situations where people look up to us on what to do next. They put their trust in us to set out the course and direction. Great, right? Well, if you're the one who has to carry the weight of making the correct call each and every time, it can easily lead to unhealthy situations and potentially burnout. Not to mention that the challenges we work on are simply too complex to solve in isolation. But it doesn't have to be this way, as our guest, Amelia Diggle, shares in this episode. In our conversation, Amelia shares some unconventional leadership practices that promote collaboration, effectiveness, and even fun, from working out loud to deep listening and mindfulness. Amelia's insights offer a much-needed, refreshing perspective on compassionate leadership. As you'll hear, regardless of whether you hold a formal leadership role or not, you can inspire change by modeling positive behavior. So please join us for the chat and what it takes to become a compassionate leader who achieves results. --- [ 1. GUIDE ] --- 00:00 Welcome to Episode 188 05:30 Who is Amelia 08:00 Lightning Round 10:15 How we can be more collaborative leaders 13:45 Design having more influence 16:45 Leadership isn't collaboration 21:00 What to expect to do differently 22:30 What's "Working Out Loud" 27:00 How to get people to work on the right level 29:15 What to Avoid 35:00 Being Good at Listening 42:30 Am I Listening Enough 43:30 Dealing with a Loud Person 49:30 A Pivotal Milestone 52:30 Importance of having a Vision Statement 57:45 Piece of advice 1:00:30 Connect with Amelia --- [ 2. LINKS ] --- https://www.linkedin.com/in/adiggle/ --- [ 3. CIRCLE ] --- Join our private community for in-house service design professionals. https://servicedesignshow.com/circle
Let's face it... In many organizations, human-centered design, unfortunately isn't yet woven into the cultural fabric. This means that design often still needs to earn its stripes before it gets fully accepted inside an environment that's dominated by a different mindset. And the stakes are high. Either design's influence grows, and investments shift toward it, or it risks fading into insignificance. Right now, there's a strong debate going on in our field: How can we earn this respect without losing our design essence, the very source of our effectiveness? Scott Zimmer, our guest this week, brings a wealth of insights on what it takes to persuade organizations to make substantial (financial) investments in design. Through his experiences in executive leadership roles, he successfully championed design, building environments where it was regarded as an equal partner rather than a replaceable resource. In this conversation, we delve into the strategies for building bridges between business and design, ensuring mutual understanding and appreciation. As you'll hear, Scott offers practical, actionable steps to drive change within your organization, from the influence of job titles to crafting stories that resonate with your business partners. So, if you're interested in learning what really moves the needle in favor of design from someone who's been at the very top, make sure you don't miss this one! One key takeaway from my discussion with Scott is that we should hold firmly to our principles and not doubt the value we bring to the table. We can be both brave and humble. ~ Marc --- [ 1. GUIDE ] --- 00:00 Welcome to Episode 187 05:45 Who is Scott 09:00 Lightning Round 10:30 Designers seeking respect 16:30 Respect revered 18:30 How to earn the respect 26:00 Valuing what designers put into the table 30:15 What it means to be an equal partner 36:30 Making a positive impression 39:45 The status quo 44:30 Bragging rights in your favor 47:00 Lessons learned 56:00 It's a bet 59:15 What's next for Scott 1:04:30 Final takeaway --- [ 2. LINKS ] --- https://www.linkedin.com/in/sczimmer/ Org Design for Design Orgs by Peter Merholz (book) - https://orgdesignfordesignorgs.com/ Join the waitlist - https://www.tmpt.me --- [ 3. CIRCLE ] --- Join our private community for in-house service design professionals. https://servicedesignshow.com/circle
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