Introducing Service Design

I am opportuned to be part of the new movement and phenomenon going on around the west. It is the new definition of creativity and it is called ‘design’. Prior to what we think design is here in Nigeria. When you hear design or a designer, what comes to mind? Graphic design, fashion, interior, etc. We are meant to believe that design is about fine things, layout, graphics and colour.

But a new school of thought from America to Europe and institutions like Stanford to Oxford and Aalto universities and consultancies such as IDEO, Engine and Continuum have emerged. This new school is saying that design is not just about creating clothes, designer glasses or artworks. Design is about solving problems creatively, the ideas behind the creation and the process of idea generation is as important as the artefact itself.

Design is not just only the activity of those who call themselves designers. We believe everybody can design. From how entrepreneurs manage their time and tasks, how moms creates their Saturdays’ shopping list. Or how governments fulfills the needs of its citizens. What we do everyday is design yet we don’t know it.

Design is becoming increasingly popular in management practice as well as in education. And this is not too difficult to fathom. The world is becoming complex and no one discipline could boast of solving these problems. We are implored to look far and wide for solutions to problems in life and in business. 21^st century Managers are beginning to see value in the way designers think and their divergent approach to problem solving. Hence, the coining of the term design thinking which has generated so much buzz in the world of management and the media. In our modern world from Steve jobs, Tim brown,  Daniel libeskind    and the extraordinaire French designer Philippe Starck..More and more people and even governments are paying more attention to how ideas are created, packaged and sold.

Companies like Google, Apple, and Microsoft are beginning to seek out design graduates or MBA grads with design skills especially design thinking. Even governments in Europe and elsewhere in America are not left out with the establishment of dedicated design institutes such as Design Council by the UK Government, Design Innovation Scotland, Danish design and German Design Council to name but a few.

Design has many branches such as product design, interaction design, industrial design, user-experience design, service design, packaging design, etc. These are dedicated areas where a designer could concentrate but the underlying fact is that they all use the principles of design to create solutions for users. Design is not limited to these areas named above. More branches are beginning to emerge such as scenic design, sustainable design, information design, design for tourism, etc.

Steve jobs with the Apple movement was a master of this discipline called ‘Design’. He was neither a graphic nor an interaction designer yet he understood the language of design.

He designed his Apple empire from MAC-iPod-phones’-iPad-appstore-iTunes. In what is called, ‘Business Design’. He designed a unique business model alien to the tech industry.

If you have been into one of many Apple stores in Europe or America you will begin to understand what i mean by design. From the communication & marketing to the Apple stores, merchandising and after-service. The Apple empire was created to deliver experience and excite customers. It was premeditated and powered by design and design thinking.

Image Credit:  Nigel Cross, Tim Brown & Charles ikem via; http://www.academia.edu/3651077/INTRODUCTION_TO_SERVICE_DESIGN 2013

But design could be anywhere. It has been touted to help developing nations become self-reliant, manage resources, tackle poverty and indeed help governments deliver quality service to its citizens. Yet for over 20 years now since this discipline took off it has seen no life in Nigeria. Elsewhere in Africa the World Bank’s CGAP and the design agency IDEO are collaborating on extending mobile money service to the rural poor in Kenya and also in South Africa a global design agency frog design is currently doing well in Johannesburg. We have the opportunity to learn and apply design methods in Nigeria starting from here.

So What Is Service Design? Service design is the design of services, interactions, touch points, environments and information that enables the delivery of quality products/services to customers and the public. The objective of service design is to ensure that service interfaces are fun, functional and easy to use.

It uses design tools such as customer insights, customer journey mapping, blueprinting ideation techniques, mind mapping to develop and deliver unique service experiences at the heart of customers.

Service design starts by asking questions. Why don’t Nigerians like queuing? why can’t banks borrow money without collateral, why do people not check expiry dates before they consume packaged goods and how might we prepare better for emergencies? These types of questions often called probes will stimulate and inspire teams to investigate the whole context of the problem. Then comes the ideation which can be in form of structured or unstructured brainstorming. Gather as many ideas as possible. Little, wild ideas involving employing as well as customers. The next phase will be the actual design and/or implementation of the plan.

Service design is about using a guided methodology and process of design to create service solutions that will connect and resonate with the people. All over the world design is the next big thing to happen to innovation in business and in the social-sector. Companies and governments are focusing their energy to design as a strategic advantage to creating lasting solutions. Products and services that pass through the design process often stands out. Apple never had a demographic in Africa, but its products were designed for everybody to aspire to own. It wasn’t a marketing magic. IT IS DESIGN. In Nigeria, even people that hardly write on ink now carry the ipads and iphones. Steve Jobs would have been marvelled how far his product have gone to inspire people at the extreme.

Imagine what our banks, hospitals, roads, telecoms and govt agencies will look like if we adopt service design in these organisations. This is one lasting solution to saving lives, customers and public services. Create what people will love!