Service Design Show

Sorry, but I have to say it...

We are optimizing our way to boredom.

Measure everything, test every variation, and optimize the customer journey until it’s "perfect".

That seems to be the mantra of modern business today.

But in this first episode of 2026, our guest ​Kendra Shimmell​ throws a big wrench in this machinery.

Kendra argues that while things like A/B testing validate what works right now, they often come at a steep...

We need to talk about the "intern" sitting on your desktop...

Come on, you know the one.

Sure, they are fast, very eager to please, and can process data at lightning speeds.

But they also have a bad habit of hallucinating facts and making things up just to make you happy.

Of course, I’m talking about AI.

It is fair to say that we are past the initial "wow" phase of generative AI.

Now, for us service design professi...

Sure, design might be going through a tough period...

But as the saying goes, "never waste a good crisis."

So this moment of uncertainty, where everyone is wondering if (or rather when) AI will take over their job, might actually be our biggest opportunity to rise up.

It is a unique chance to reclaim our core focus of designing services that genuinely improve people's lives, rather than just extracting value to maximize ...

Here is a hot take, empathy is becoming "theater"...

I mean, it's that feeling you get when you receive a "hyper-personalized" yet clearly automated email saying "We are so deeply sorry to see you go".

To me, it just feels insincere. Actually, it even feels manipulative.

Instead of a genuine connection, it’s a performance designed to "manage" me, not help me.

As every business out there is i...

We often hear the "mantra" to move fast and break things...

But what happens when the thing that breaks is you?

For many service design professionals, this is the reality of their calendar: back-to-back meetings, a rush to deliver, and very little space to actually think.

In many organizations, there is a culture that views this busyness as a badge of honor.

But our guest in this episode, Rachael Dietkus, has quite a differe...

Okay, we are pretty good storytellers... but are we telling the right story?

As service design professionals, we nail it when it comes to what I call "Horizontal Storytelling".

We can walk anyone through the customer journey, step-by-step, building empathy for the user's pain and frustration over time.

But here is the somewhat inconvenient truth: As you might have experienced, your CEO or CFO often doesn't know what...

Service design, so what...

That's a question still many people around us (rightfully) ask.

And let's be honest, they'll probably keep asking it for the foreseeable future.

It will take a very long time before our field becomes a household name, which I doubt it ever will.

Now, it’s easy to get frustrated about this, to roll our eyes every time someone questions the value of our work.

But that frustration isn't going to get us any close...

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"...

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...