this is an interesting discussion on service design. i agree with terence love as in his post
of march 30, 2009:
--- snip ---
It seems funny to try to problematise service design. It seems a bit like terra nullius - 'it
hasn't been discovered yet providing you ignore those who are already living and working
there)
We know what service activities are and we know what design activity is. The issues
seem to be mainly about why and how we should undertake design activity to improve
service activities?
--- snip ---
i think this is one of the crucial questions and we can look at services through the design
activity lens from various perspectives:
1. a back-end perspective, where design disciplines design various artifacts. this is where
we are. (briefing space)
2. a front-end perspective, where design would be one of several perspectives. this is a
highly contested space where power issues apply. (power space)
should design activities aim at improving the back-end through a touchpoint- and
customer journey blueprinting perspective, quasi as a bottom-up approach, ultimately
risking to get squeezed down by power issues (think marketing, management, IT, and the
like)?
should design activities aim at the competency of designing (in german: gestalten,
entwerfen) beyond the back-end focused artifact design, encompassing the whole system
of offerings, communications, and processes (company back-end as well as user front-
end?)
should design activities aim at a meta-perspective that focuses on how disciplinary
perspectives come together? an inter-disciplinary and trans-disciplinary approach? i see
potential here, but then we have to talk about process, process skills, team collaboration,
communication, etc..
.....
in any case, it seems that whatever direction and route design might be taking regarding
specific design activities, new skills would have be learned. ;)
that would not be trivial, to say the least. it would mean to move upstream with a
competitive combination of new skills and grab a piece of the pie.
Hans Kaspar Hugentobler
Founder
Chen Hugentobler Associates
People-Centric Innovation Consultants
Zurich, Switzerland
www.chenhugentobler.com
[log in to unmask]
Design Management International Program Co-Director
Senior Lecturer and Researcher
Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts
www.hkhugentobler.info
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