In short form, Service Design is the practice of improving “the experiences of both the user and employee by designing, aligning, and optimizing an organisation’s operations to better support customer journeys.” (definition from the Nielsen Norman group website). In the UK, Service Design is pervasive in both the private and public sector, while in New Zealand & Australia the public service has powered forward in learning from the UK experience. In Scandinavia, design has been a way of life for decades, from architecture, to furniture, to business practices, and yes, it includes services.
We can do better…
You don’t have to look far in Ireland to find stories of places where a little Service Design might have helped. The Public Services Card (imposed by stealth rather than engagement), hospital waiting lists, post office closures, rural broadband rollout, tracker mortgages, our banks in general, health insurance, buying a home, the planning process in our towns and cities… we have a lot of work to do!
Additionally the Irish public now have raised expectations for the services we experience in this country. This is appropriate, as Irish people note service experiences they’ve encountered abroad, as choice increases, and as digital services from global providers become available here.
