The official definition for service design is as follows:  Service design is the practice of designing services. It uses a holistic and highly collaborative approach to generate value for both the service user and the service provider throughout the service’s lifecycle. 

In practice, service design helps to choreograph the processes, technologies and interactions driving the delivery of services, using a human-centered perspective. Service design today is applicable across multiple sectors, helping to deliver strategic and tactical objectives for both the private and public sector. 

The need for service design as a field is increasing as we shift away from human driven interaction for the distribution of services and more towards custom built digital solutions.  For example, in the past we relied on MTA employees to give out subway tokens. The human behind the glass offered answers and responses to any possible concern a commuter may have. Filling the same niche with theMetroCard machine required imagining exactly all the different ways a potential user would need to interact and designing a machine that would funnel these paths into one of few end results: a refilled MetroCard, a new MetroCard, or a transaction cancellation. The process of designing for these outcomes is, in a nutshell, service design. 

For more resources on understanding what role service design can play in your industry, please visit the knowledge section on the main SDN website. Keep reading for example case studies on what service design can do for our world.

What role can Service Design play in NYC? 

‍Service design is a necessary consideration when ensuring accessibility to resources for a diverse and ever-growing population. In 2019, the Service Design Studio at the Mayor’s office tackled the topic of addressing the needs of families in the NYC shelter system. The workers at the Service DesignStudio used a perspective formed from Trauma Informed care to drive this study and consider how trauma can influence the lives of families in the shelter system. To achieve this goal, the Studio on answering two questions: How might we identify shelter practices that unintentionally create or reinforce trauma in families? And how can we identify opportunities to mitigate the trauma of homelessness? The Studio made use of several service design methods to arrive to a conclusion, such as mapping the stakeholder’s (a family’s) journey, interviewing trauma experts/service delivery staff/families, and sorted these findings into common themes. This knowledge base allowed the Studio to brainstorm possible solution with staff from the DHS. These ideas were sorted and prioritized based on potential impact and ability to mitigate trauma. A survey was used to validate these solutions. The ideation process resulted in several conclusions that were presented to the DHS in a handover presentation. As a result, the DHS office started to work with each department to enact initiatives that push forward trauma informed care. These include reviewing policy and procedures to embed strengths-based, people-first language; reviewing and improving signage within shelters to create a trauma-informed environment and relations between staff and clients; encouraging staff self-care; expanding training and ensuring staff are trained in TIC practices; and many others. 

‍What are some resources I can consult to learn more about Service Design? 

‍For information on definitions, resources, events, books and more, please visit the SDN New York and SDN Main Websites.

Sources: 
https://sdnnyc.com/
https://www.service-design-network.org/
https://civicservicedesign.com/case-study-envisioning-a-better-shelter-system-for-families-37d142c76b16
https://www.curbed.com/2022/08/goodbye-metrocard-machine-friendly-interface.html