Imagine you’re a car manufacturer. Each time a customer settles into the driver’s seat, she sees your brand logo on the steering wheel, reminding her of your company. This brand recognition applies to products like phones, shirts, or books. But what if you sell services like haircuts or bus rides? How do you design these intangible experiences? This is where Service Design Thinking excels!

In this summary of This is Service Design Thinking by Marc Stickdorn, Jakob Schneider, you’ll learn

• why quantitative data cannot distinguish between Prince Charles and Ozzy Osbourne;
• why service design is like making a movie; and
• why the service experience begins well before you offer your actual service.

This is Service Design Thinking Key Idea #1: Service design should revolve around customers, while keeping in mind their potential differences.

Designing Around the Customer

Service design is an evolving approach combining various methods to design new services. The first principle is user-centeredness, meaning the customer is a crucial part of the process. Services are interactive processes, and a successful service recognizes the customer’s central role.

For instance, consider a public transportation service. It benefits countless customers, but it’s only valuable if the bus routes are convenient for them.

The Limits of Quantitative Data

Designing a successful service involves more than just relying on quantitative data like statistics. While useful for identifying trends, statistics alone can’t capture the unique differences among customers. For example, two 70-year-old married men from the UK, like Prince Charles and Ozzy Osbourne, are distinctly different despite similar statistics.

This highlights the importance of considering qualitative data in service design. Understanding customers’ cultures, habits, and motivations is crucial for creating effective services.

This is Service Design Thinking Key Idea #2: Successful service design uses a co-creative environment as well as sequencing to catch all the tiny details.

Co-creative Environment

Involving customers and other stakeholders in the service design process is essential. This co-creative approach ensures that all stakeholders, including managers, marketers, and engineers, have a say in the design process, contributing valuable insights and expertise.

For example, in a public transportation service, cooperation with government officials, engineers, and marketing firms is necessary to ensure safety, compliance, and effective promotion.

Importance of Sequencing

Sequencing in service design involves breaking down the user experience into individual touchpoints or interactions. This approach allows for a detailed overview of the service, ensuring no detail is overlooked.

For example, in a barbershop, sequencing helps identify the need for clean floors between customers and providing magazines or TVs for waiting customers. This detailed breakdown enhances the overall customer experience.

This is Service Design Thinking Key Idea #3: Use things such as souvenirs to extend the service, and think holistically to find new ways of improving.

Now that we’ve covered the first three principles of service design let’s turn to the last two – evidencing and holistic thinking.

Service Souvenirs

Evidencing involves creating tangible items or service souvenirs that prolong the service experience and remind customers of their positive experiences. These souvenirs, like postcards or mugs, help increase customer retention.

Holistic Approach

While focusing on details is important, it’s equally crucial to maintain a holistic view of the service. Consider all sensory experiences, like sight, sound, smell, and taste, to create a comprehensive and engaging service.

For example, a barbershop with calming pastel colors and the aroma of fresh coffee can significantly enhance the customer experience, making a positive first impression.

This is Service Design Thinking Key Idea #4: A stakeholder map is a great way to avoid and solve problems.

Stakeholder Map

A stakeholder map is a visual tool that helps identify and understand the relationships between all stakeholders involved in the service. It’s particularly useful in complex environments with multiple stakeholders.

For instance, when working with the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs, a stakeholder map helped identify the complex relationships between businesses and government agents, enabling a clearer focus on customer needs.

This is Service Design Thinking Key Idea #5: A customer journey map helps you see the grand design of your service as well as isolate individual features.

A stakeholder map isn’t the only tool that can help you see the big picture of your service. There’s also a tool called the customer journey map that works as a great visual aid for service designers.

Customer Journey Map

A customer journey map lists and connects all customer interactions, providing valuable insights into the customer experience. This tool helps identify areas for improvement and understand how changes impact the overall service.

For example, a barbershop might use a customer journey map to address complaints about long waiting times, identifying the need for additional staff to improve service efficiency.

In Review: This is Service Design Thinking Book Summary

Service design thinking involves a dynamic process that includes service providers, customers, and all stakeholders. It requires attention to every detail and an understanding of the overall customer experience.

Actionable Advice

Use questionnaires to gather qualitative information about your customers. For instance, when designing a new bus service, a questionnaire can reveal preferences and motivations, helping tailor the service to customer needs.

Service design is about more than just transactions; it’s about creating meaningful and memorable customer experiences.

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