Service Design Show

We've got a serious problem...

The "higher" you climb on the career ladder, the further removed you get from the actual discipline of design.

Unfortunately, it's a story I hear surprisingly often.

A design professionals finally gets that hard-earned seat at the table, and almost immediately, the pressure to conform kicks in.

They start to feel like they have to trade their unique perspective for a corporate persona, ...

Here's the big problem with journey maps...

It's often like you've composed a masterpiece, but no one is there to actually play it.

This is what I feel when I see a carefully crafted map (our version of "music on paper"), which ultimately fails to make an impact.

Sure, we do the research, map the insights, and identify opportunities, but on Monday morning, everyone just goes back to their old routines, checking ...

What is the thing biggest stopping you from doing meaningful work...

When I listen to the service design professionals around me, it's often not the tools or methods they have access to.

Rather, and you might recognize this, its often the organizational culture that's the biggest roadblock.

Culture isn't the set of company values that are displayed on the wall. If only things were so simple

Culture is materialized by actio...

I recently started playing Padel...

And like with all my new hobbies, I enjoy getting good gear.

So after some research, I treated myself to a racket from the higher end of the market.

Now, when I'm on the court playing and lose, I could (might) complain that my racket sucks.

That it was "false advertising" because all the specs indicate that this is almost an unbeatable racket.

But let's be honest, we both know that's probably not the...

Do you ever wonder about the "so what?" of your journey maps...

To this day, I often see that journey mapping is treated as a "documentation" exercise.

Basically as a way to visualize our customers experiences. And while having that visual overview is useful, it's just the beginning.

As you probably know, the real challenge is turning that understanding into action that actually impacts your customers (and your business). Not a small...

The things service design professionals have to deal with...

Okay, so your boss tells you drive to a place with “a great view,” hands a full tank of gas, and wished good luck. Oh and by the way, we need to be there in 30-days, no compass, no map.

Now take a guess, how likely is it that after a month you'll have arrived at exactly the location they had in mind. I'd say anything higher than 0 is an optimistic perspective.

This s...

Are you tired of proving the value of service design… over and over again?

Well, I'm happy to share that you're not alone. It's one of the most common frustrations I hear from professionals in our field.

You work hard, you get a win, you move the needle... and then the next project starts, and it feels like you're right back at square one, making the case all over again. Sound familiar.

Many of us feel stuck in this e...

I'm sure you've seen the news...

At the outset, the recent announcement of the "America by Design" initiative and the new "National Design Studio" is quite exciting. It’s a huge spotlight on our field.

But it also feels a bit strange, doesn't it?

Because it wasn’t so long ago that the US government had 18F, an entire organization dedicated to improving the user experience of its services. And then, in ...

All you want to do is run away…

Okay, so you’re standing in a boardroom overlooking a beautiful vineyard, leading a workshop for a major client, and the only thing that's going through your mind is: How do I get out of there?

This was a real moment for this episode's guest, Ben Rennie.

And it's a feeling that I think many of us can relate to, even if the setting is different (vineyards sound good though).

We’ve all heard s...

What makes time go fast for you, and what makes it go slow...

It's a powerful question that might just help you find more meaning and heck, yes even more joy in your work.

We see a brighter future, but the system moves slowly. This mismatch can lead to frustration and burnout. What if the secret to creating change wasn't about the system, but about you?

In this conversation with Martha Edwards, a public sector veteran, we talk...

What if we’ve been led down the wrong path…

When it comes to service design, we’re often told the main goal is to break down silos. And that makes sense, right?

Our organizations are structured vertically, but the experiences we design flow horizontally. This clash creates friction, so the natural instinct is to declare war on silos.

But what if that’s sending us in the wrong direction?

Silos exist for a reason; they bring focus and ef...

Everyone wants change, just not for themselves…

I remember a great experiment we used to do back in my agency days.

At the start of a workshop, we'd ask everyone to put on a prop.

It could be a hat, a pair of oversized glasses, or even a superhero cape. After some initial laughter, everyone usually played along.

But the interesting part wasn't putting the props on. It was what happened in the minutes that followed.

As we started the "o...

As a service design professional, what is your primary role...!?

Are you the host who sets the table for collaboration and creates a safe space for everyone?

Or are you maybe a trusted advisor, working quietly behind the scenes to help stakeholders make better decisions?

Well, what if the answer is... both?

This tension between hosting and advising is at the heart of the latest Inside Service Design episode, in which we explore the rea...

What's the last time you did something you didn't know how to do...

For me, it was last week when I took up the idea of building custom Cornhole boards (fun and addictive sport, look it up) with my kids.

My woodworking skills are limited, at best. And that's one of the reasons I decided to take on this project.

I can tell you, now in the midst of the process, that I've already made a dozen small mistakes.

However, goin...

What does it take to spend more of your time creating real impact...

That's the central question we're exploring in our Journey Management Playbook series.

In the last episode, we did something pretty amazing: we took a pile of raw data and, with a click of a button, watched AI generate a structured journey map in a matter of minutes.

I'll admit even though I was a bit skeptical to start with, this felt pretty magical.

But ...

Let's be honest, unfortunately not many business truly cares about sustainable services...

The energy debate around AI is finally highlighting digital services' environmental impact. But every service, digital or physical, consumes resources: energy, materials, and even our time. As service designers, we have a moral obligation to design with sustainability at the core.

This episode tackles the real challenges: clients not a...

Have you ever thought about...

What a therapist, a grandma, and an organ donor teach you about service design?

I know, this might sound like the start of a strange joke, but it gets to the heart of a big truth about our work.

We invest a lot of time perfecting our journey maps, blueprints, and personas.

But as we know, the challenges we work on won't be solved by a deliverable.

They're solved through invisible "tools"...

Ever feel like your most crucial work goes unnoticed? Just like the essential "cooling fluid" of a car, much of service design's impact—making teams efficient and processes smooth—operates in the background. But when it's missing, chaos erupts.

In this episode, our guest Kat Thackray dive into the invisible, yet vital, work that drives true change in service design. We'll explore why this intangible effort is o...