A new field has emerged in recent years called service design – but what exactly is it? A distinct definition simply eludes the field of design. As Richard Buchanan said, “Frankly, one of the great strengths of design is that we have not settled on a single definition. Fields in which definition is now a settled matter tend to be lethargic, dying, or dead fields, where inquiry no longer provides challenges to what is accepted as truth.” This is what makes design such an exciting field and practice to be a part of, new sectors such as service design are ever evolving and creating new exciting opportunities to the creatively inclined.

 
The company 31 Volts explains the purpose of service design quite simply – “When you have two coffee shops right next to each other, and each sells the exact same coffee at the exact same price, service design is what makes you walk into one and not the other”. Service design is a multidisciplinary field which combines designers, marketers, anthropologists, customers, stakeholders, and so on and so forth to work collaboratively toward the purpose of improving a given service.

 
Successful companies need a comprehensive and empathetic understanding of their customers needs – how are they experiencing what you give them? Don’t think of design as simply a means of accessorizing – but rather as a way of theorizing or a way of thinking. Every process can be deliberately designed and researched so as to provide the most effective result and experience probable.

 
Service Design is new, it’s exciting, and it requires you to be a part of the process! Get involved by simply providing feedback to the services you utilize on a regular basis. If you’d like to learn more about this topic click here and consider purchasing their informative book “This Is Service Design Thinking”!