Service Design Show

Episode description

Are they lying to us...You often hear people say that driving change as an in-house service design professional often feels less like a sprint and more like a marathon, right?But let's be honest, that's not quite true.In reality, it's more like running an ultra-marathon (and some more).We all know that "tangible" progress in service design can sometimes feel slow and far removed.Often, the real challenge isn't about which tools, methods, or frameworks you use.It’s about keeping your internal flame burning and maintaining momentum inside the organization, especially when things get tough.But here's the good news: some professionals have found ways to play the long game successfully.So, how do you sustain your energy, passion, and impact when the work feels like a long-distance race (without a clear path and unknown finish line)? That's what this new episode is all about.It’s part of our new series where we dive into the actual, unpolished practice of in-house service design.For this conversation, I was joined by two experienced professionals, Linn Jansson and James Field.They are both deep in the daily realities of this work and truly get what the "in-house marathon" feels like.Linn and James share some honest insights – not just about their diverse journeys into service design, but specifically about how they navigate these long-term challenges and, crucially, how they keep their motivation high.In this episode, you'll discover where they find their 'fuel', including:The power of supportive teams and communities.The importance of recognizing those small (but mighty!) wins.How they’ve learned to see and appreciate the long-term shifts they are making, even when it's tough to notice day-to-day.So, if you're looking for some encouragement, practical perspectives on resilience, or simply the reassurance that you're not running this marathon alone, I think you'll get a lot from this episode.And on that note, I'm curious: What keeps you motivated when you're deep in the in-house design marathon? Hit reply and let me know.Enjoy the conversation and keep making a positive impact!Take care,~ Marc--- [ 1. GUIDE ] --- 00:00 In-house Service Design Realities03:30 Linn's Journey06:00 James's Journey07:30 Defining Success09:00 Linn's Success View10:30 Measuring Progress14:00 James on Influence17:00 Measuring Enablement18:30 Articulating Value22:00 Why IMGD Helps23:45 James on Influence26:45 Org Influencing Designers27:45 James's Sales Example29:00 Keeping Design Sensibility34:00 Misconceptions about SD37:30 Linn's In-house Challenges38:00 Linn on Failure42:00 Gentle Activism46:00 What to Strive For48:30 Learning More49:30 James's Motivation52:30 Linn's Motivation54:30 James's Final Point55:00 Linn's Final Say --- [ 2. LINKS ] --- https://www.linkedin.com/in/linn-janssonhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesadamfield/ --- [ 3. CIRCLE ] --- Join our private community for in-house service design professionals. ⁠https://servicedesignshow.com/circle

Have we, as the design field, contributed to the erosion of our social fabric over the last years...I had a big week recently. My daughter received the news about which high school she'll be attending next year. In the Netherlands, we have a lottery system for high schools; you list multiple options and hope fortune smiles upon you for your first choice. The second option on my daughter’s list involved a 45-minute bike ride, which is quite a journey, even by Dutch standards.A few weeks prior, we’d made that bike ride together to visit the school. Reflecting on those 45 minutes, it struck me.The experience is, of course, completely different when you make that journey alone compared to when you’re riding alongside your best friend to school.Suddenly, those 45 minutes take on a totally new meaning. So, in this case to make the journey more enjoyable, you don't have to redesign the roads, you need to design for connection.This got me thinking: What if we shifted our focus in design? What would happen if we started designing more for groups instead of just individuals, for 'together' instead of 'alone,' for co-experience and communities? And what is the price we pay if we don't? It seems that many other fields already embraced the importance of community, while design seems to be trailing behind, why is that?These questions have been going through my mind a lot lately.That's why I was particularly excited to chat with James Lang. James, a founder of the collective Together by Design, has spent the last few years deeply immersed in the world of community design.In this episode, we explore why community design is an essential, yet often overlooked, part of the service design toolkit and share practical ways to build stronger connections through design.So if you're looking to design better, more humane services while strengthening our communities at the same time, this is the perfect episode for you.James and I had a fun debate about the art and science of knowing if your community is "working". I'm curious which side you’ll lean towards after listening.Keep making a positive impact and design for community!~ Marc--- [ 1. GUIDE ] --- 00:00 Intro / Welcome04:00 Why Design Communities?07:30 Community defined by James10:30 Sense of Belonging12:00 Together by Design16:00 Why Study Communities?26:00 Changing Our Approach30:30 Ethics in Design31:00 Ethics in Community Design34:00 Cult vs. Community / Power Dynamics37:15 Community Defined by Marc31:30 Community Ownership & Power40:45 Commercial Communities42:00 Non-Commercial Communities42:30 Money in Non-Commercial Communities47:45 Community Health KPIs51:45 Marc's Community Example52:45 James on Marc's Community56:00 Why Measure Community?57:00 Measuring Community Signals58:00 Intentional Community Building1:01:00 Resources & Get Involved1:02:30 James' Closing Thoughts --- [ 2. LINKS ] --- https://www.linkedin.com/in/jameslangresearch/https://www.togetherbydesign.org/https://www.linkedin.com/company/together-by-design/ --- [ 3. CIRCLE ] --- Join our private community for in-house service design professionals. ⁠https://servicedesignshow.com/circle

Who pours their heart and soul into journey maps that end up gathering dust...Exactly no one of course!Sure, we all want our journey work to have more impact, faster. But the question is how?That's exactly what we're exploring in the Journey Management Playbook series in collaboration with TheyDo.What makes this series different is that it's built on the real-world lessons learned from companies who are deep in the trenches of implementing journey management. Success leaves clues – clues we're sharing with you.Just like in the first episode, this second part dives into a step that many professionals (myself included, sometimes) tend to skip, overlook, or take for granted. Yeah, it's the kind of oversight that often comes back to haunt you later on.This crucial step is all about grounding your journey efforts in solid evidence, blending the what with the why. It’s what separates informed action from guesswork.Getting this right brings clarity on what truly deserves your attention and what noise you can safely ignore. Without it, you’re essentially sailing in the dark, hoping for the best. And let's be honest, hope isn't the most reliable strategy when stakeholders are looking for tangible results.So, join Tingting Lin and me to learn how to prevent your journey management efforts from failing to make the impact they deserve.I thought I already had things pretty well dialled in with my own journey management, but this conversation was an eye-opener. Tingting showed how looking into a few simple things differently could help me ground my journeys in even stronger evidence. Take care,~ Marc[RESOURCES]LinkedIn - ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/tingting-lin Journey AI Episode: https://youtu.be/ImPCICkw9CITheyDo - ⁠https://www.theydo.com/[EPISODE GUIDE]00:00 Episode Preview 04:00 Meet the Expert: Tingting06:30 EP 1 Recap: Business Challenge08:30 Data in Workflow11:30 Analyzing with Data16:30 Data Types & Sources18:00 Siloed Data Challenge19:30 Numbers vs Emotions21:30 Why Data Quality22:30 Understanding Quant Data25:30 Correlations & Indicators28:00 Comperehensive data32:30 Adding Data Context35:30 Actionable Data Context37:45 Quant Data Takeaways39:00 Qualitative Data Example41:00 Churn Example with Qual43:00 Unstructured data45:00 Naturally occurring data48:00 Key qualitative data insights49:45 AI for Quality Analysis50:45 Putting Data Together53:00 Data Combination Insights56:00 Data in Large Businesses57:30 The Business Journey Tool58:30 Episode 3 Preview1:00:00 Audience Q&A (EP 1)

What is the secret to consistently delivering high-quality work, day in and day out...Recently, I was chatting with my neighbours who run a bespoke interior design and manufacturing business.They make truly stunning, customised pieces for the upper market.It's easy to think their success hinges on exceptional craftsmanship, which is surely part of it.But what really keeps their business running smoothly is something far more fundamental.In my conversation with them, we agreed that most of it comes down to things like having the right supplies available, making sure everything in its place so it can be found quickly, that tools in tip-top shape, and even something as simple as having lunch prepared so you don't have to worry about it.These basic and somewhat "boring" conditions, are what enable them to deliver consistently high-quality work. Without them, production would be a slog, quality would be all over the map, and let's face it, they probably wouldn't be in business for very long.We often take these kinds of conditions for granted. When things are running like a well-oiled machine, we assume that's just how it's supposed to be.But you, as a service design professional, know that the conditions for delivering your best work are often far from guaranteed.In fact, it can often feel like your organization is actively making your job harder, not easier.This brings us to the question: What would it take to create the ideal conditions for service design to achieve its maximum impact? And how can we actually put those conditions in place?Well, as you might have guessed already, that's where Design Operations (aka DesignOps) comes in.Getting started with DesignOps (or scaling it) can be a real challenge, especially in organizations that don't have a strong design heritage.But the good news is that John Calhoun and Rachel Posman have done the heavy lifting for us. They've gathered best practices from experienced DesignOps professionals and compiled them into a brand-new book "The Design Conductors".This book promises to help you kickstart or scale your DesignOps efforts more effectively, make a bigger impact, and sidestep common pitfalls. The result? Making your life as a service design professional a whole lot easier!So, with this foresight, we of course need to know more about this book.And you guessed it, that's exactly what this episode is all about.Here's already one key insight from the conversation: Every organization is already doing design operations. Most are just doing it unconsciously and missing out on the benefits. Yeah, there's a lot of low-hanging fruit waiting to be picked...--- [ 1. GUIDE ] --- 00:00 Welcome to Episode 22604:00 Book Title Revealed05:00 Defining DesignOps06:30 Starting the DesignOps Journey08:30 Realizing it's DesignOps10:30 Inside Design Operations13:00 DesignOps IS Design16:00 Honing the Craft (Iteration)21:30 Ideal Book Audience & Origins26:00 Book Feedback28:00 Why Write the Book Now?31:45 Book Structure Evolution40:00 Favorite Writing Part42:30 Deciding Book Content45:30 Defining Success & Measurement50:30 Knowing You're on Track53:00 Current State of DesignOps56:00 AI as a Roadblock57:30 AI as an Opportunity59:30 Questions While Writing1:02:30 What Was Left Out1:04:30 A Question to Ponder1:06:30 Get the Book1:07:30 Discount & Giveaway --- [ 2. LINKS ] --- https://www.linkedin.com/in/johncalhoun/https://www.thedesignconductors.com/ [ Discount Code ]Use "ServiceDesign15" to get 15% off the book. Valid till May 31, 2025. Redeemable at https://rosenfeldmedia.com/books/design-operations/[ Signed Copy Contest ]Leave a comment on this episode (via YouTube or Spotify) to enroll in the contest. We will pick a random entry on May 8th, 2025. Please respond within 24 hours if you have won to claim your prize. --- [ 3. CIRCLE ] --- Join our private community for in-house service design professionals. ⁠https://servicedesignshow.com/circle

Who are they...I know there are many out there and you could very well be one of them.I'm talking about the unsung heroes who do the hard work of making the services around us a little bit better each and every day. It might sound a little bit silly, but I feel that we don't know enough what it's like to do service design on a day to day basis.Sure, we often hear about inspiring theories, useful frameworks and great case studies. But somehow we rarely get to see the honest, unpolished and messy side of our work.Well, that's about to change!We're starting an new series here on the Show. A series where we dive deep into the actual practice of service design. About time, right? ;)You'll hear two guests, both experienced in-house service design professionals, talk about their hard-won lessons, how they measure success, the indispensable skills to do their work well and much more.In this first episode, I'm joined by Shelby Bower and Nicole Bennett who both, as you'll quickly hear, bring a wealth of experience and practical wisdom to the conversation.So if you want compare if you're doing service design in a way that aligns with your fellow practitioners, and maybe learn a thing or two from their approach, this series is for you.Which question would you ask a fellow service design professional? Let me know and maybe I'll be able to weave it in into the next episode.~ Marc--- [ 1. GUIDE ] --- 00:00 Welcome to this episode01:30 Introducing Shelby05:00 Introducing Nicole11:00 Nicole Definition of Success13:30 Shelby's Success Metrics17:30 Tracking Progress21:45 Nicole's Dinner Table Session23:30 Topic Choice (Nicole)24:30 Shelby's Session Topic26:00 Topic Choice (Shelby)27:45 Nicole's Key Takeaways30:45 Shelby's Key Moments34:45 Shelby's Written Takeaway36:00 Nicole's Post-Session Impact38:30 In-House Design Misconceptions43:30 Nicole's In-House Design Truth46:30 In-House vs. Agency50:30 Becoming Indispensable In-House54:30 Shelby's Motivation (Burnout)57:30 Nicole's Motivation59:30 Nicole's Advice59:45 Shelby's Advice --- [ 2. LINKS ] --- Shelby's LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/shelbybower/ Nicole's LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolerosebennett/ --- [ 3. CIRCLE ] --- Join our private community for in-house service design professionals. ⁠https://servicedesignshow.com/circle

I'm sure you recognize this...A stakeholders comes up with a new idea they want to explore, which you are highly skeptical about.Or take the opposite scenario where you see value in pursuing an opportunity but have a hard time getting your business stakeholders on board.The underlaying question in both situation is really how do you know which opportunities to pursue and which one are just a waste of time?Once we have the ability to predict the future this question will become irrelevant... but up to that point we have to rely on tools and frameworks that help us make educated guesses about the future.There's already many, many frameworks out there already that try to help you navigate theses kinds of strategic questions. All of these frameworks come with their pros and cons and should be used in different situations.But I'm pretty sure that you haven't yet come across the PRFAQ framework, at least I hadn't until I met Marcelo Calbucci, who recently wrote a book about it.So, why should you care about another framework? Well, for one PRFAQ has been used internally heavily inside Amazon for over 20 years already, helping them decide which projects to focus their resources on. And I think we can agree that Amazon has had a few success over the last years.So why didn't this framework get out sooner and find broader adoption outside of Amazon, that's one of the questions I had for Marcello as well.When I got more familiar with the framework, what fascinated me is that it has a strong emphasises writing. Yeah, I know the idea of having to write instead of visualising might scare off a few people at first but trust me, you don't have to be novelist in order to leverage the power of this framework. As you'll hear, Marcelo explains in this episode that writing has deeper and more important purpose than putting words on paper.Does this mean it's less suited for the design community? The opposite couldn't be more than true, this framework should be a natural fit for us, and you'll learn why in the conversation.So if you want to make important strategic decisions faster and with more confidence the PRFAQ framework is absolutely one of the tools you should consider.And this episode will help you get up to speed about it in no time.In a world where many people around us are more comfortable with the written word (and spreadsheets), having a framework like this can make the difference between finding the connection with them and not.Enjoy and keep making a positive impact!~ Marc--- [ 1. GUIDE ] --- 00:00 Welcome to episode 22504:13 What is PRFAQ?06:30 The problem PRFAQ solves08:30 PRFAQ's Origin10:00 Structure of a PRAFQ13:00 When to Use14:30 PRFAQ Power / Use17:30 Thinking about PRFAQ19:00 An Example21:30 Strategic writing elements24:00 Avoiding Nitpicking25:00 Who Struggles / Benefits26:45 Biggest misconceptions29:00 AI Influence on PRFAQ31:30 When to be careful using AI33:30 How to Start using PRAFQ35:00 Using Marc as an example37:30 How to express the problem39:15 Sustainability41:00 Retention44:30 Strategy: Can vs Should45:45 The Spark46:00 Marcelo's Next Steps47:30 Does PRFAQ Take Long?49:00 PRFAQ Superpowers / Importance52:00 Writing Challenges 54:00 Possible Book Sequel55:30 Question to ponder56:15 Learn More about PRAFQ --- [ 2. LINKS ] --- https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcelocalbucci/The PRFAQ Framework (about the book)https://calbucci.com/ --- [ 3. CIRCLE ] --- Join our private community for in-house service design professionals. ⁠https://servicedesignshow.com/circle

Ever feel like you're pushing a boulder uphill with journey management... Yeah, we've all been there. But guess what? There's a smarter way! That's why we're launching a brand new deep dive series on the Service Design Show. In this series, we're pulling back the curtain on how you can get tangible business results faster through journey management.Helping to grow trust with stakeholders, and finally getting the green light to do (more of) the work that truly matters. For this series, I've brought in Tingting Lin from the TheyDo team. Tingting has pretty much seen it all. The wins, the stumbles, and everything in between. She's guided countless teams and knows precisely what separates the journey management champions from the rest. And over the coming weeks, she's sharing all the secrets with us.In episode one, we're tackling a step that's often overlooked - a step that can derail your whole project later on. So, if you want to set yourself up for long-term success, this episode shows you the first key step on that journey.P.S. Got questions? Share them in the comments on YouTube or Spotify and we might just answer yours in a future episode.[ RESOURCES ]LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tingting-lin Slides - https://go.servicedesignshow.com/journey-management-playbookTheyDo - https://www.theydo.com/[ EPISODE GUIDE ]00:00 TheyDo Ep 01: Tingting01:30 Tingting's Background02:30 Introducing Theydo Platform04:15 Journey Management Struggles08:15 Marc's Business Case09:00 Episode Content Preview10:00 Defining Effective Challenges15:30 6-Month Challenge Example16:30 Challenges vs. Goals18:30 "Why" Before "How"20:00 Quarterly Challenge Example21:00 Marc's Target Example23:30 Community Experience Challenge26:30 Debit Card Focus32:00 Bridging Journey Gaps35:00 Setting Goals & Targets36:00 Challenge Impact Analysis38:15 Journey Achievement Goals41:00 Reviewing Key Slides43:00 Defining Good Challenges45:00 Proving Contribution Value47:30 Challenge Important Notes48:30 Episode Content Recap49:00 Audience Q&A Session50:00 Next Episode Preview

It's just not designed for me...That thought hits me every time I'm in the kitchen, wrestling, trying to prepare a healthy meal for the family.Reading recipes six times over, scrambling for ingredients, juggling the chaos of parallel cooking... yeah, it's a mess.And then, there's my wife, a natural chef, gliding through it all with effortless grace. Watching her is like watching poetry in motion.This stark contrast reinforces that the kitchen and everything in it feels utterly alien to me.Now, as a white, middle-aged, English-speaking, physically able male, I'll be the first to admit this feeling of alienation is rare for me when dealing with most products and services. And yes, cooking is a trivial example.But countless people who face do face this daily in situations far more critical.Imagine navigating healthcare, financial services, or public services, feeling like they weren't designed for you. Now that's a serious problem.Unfortunately, this is the reality for more services than we'd maybe like to admit.Sure, from a service design (and business perspective), it's easy to justify focusing on the majority.Time and resources are limited, so we design for the "center of the bell curve," the biggest group or the most profitable users. If that means excluding some, well, that's just business, right?But our guest, Jess Kessin, argues that good design does not exclude.She proposes an alternative approach: inclusive design that's both effective and cost-efficient. In fact, she insists it pays for itself.So, how do we bring more inclusive practices into our design process? How do we make the business case? And what are some practical starting points?We dive into all of that and much more in this episode.As I've often said on the Show, making our services inclusive is our responsibility as a design community.Even (especially) when no one is asking, it should be our own professional standard for good design.Enjoy the conversation, and as always, keep making a positive impact.~ Marc--- [ 1. GUIDE ] --- 00:00Welcome to Episode 22403:30 Meet Jess05:15 Discussion of D-School06:30 Barriers to Implementing Inclusive Design08:30 The Business Case11:00 Addressing Stakeholder Profit Concerns13:30 Prototyping Inclusive Design15:00 Identifying Key Focus Areas 17:00 Living up to design standard22:00 Engaging "Edge Users"25:00 Designing for Extreme Users29:00 Expanding Design to "All" of Humanity32:00 Community-Driven Design33:00 Untapped Market Potential35:30 Misconceptions Among Design Students41:00 Blind Spots in Design Education44:30 Learning from Users with Disabilities45:00 Discovering Insights from Outliers46:00 Importance of Good Design49:00 Practical tips for designer51:30 The Future of Inclusive Design55:00 AI as a Tool for Inclusive Design58:00 Taking Leadership in Inclusive Design1:00:00 Food for Thought --- [ 2. LINKS ] --- https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessicazkessin/ --- [ 3. CIRCLE ] --- Join our private community for in-house service design professionals. ⁠https://servicedesignshow.com/circle

I try to avoid conflict... most of the time.It creates tension that I usually find counter-productive.But what if this tension is actually the catalyst for growth?Have I been missing out?Our guest Tash Willcocks thinks so.She's a self-proclaimed former conflict avoider who now champions the idea of "running towards the conflict" to unlock its potential for positive change.Yes, conflict creates a tension that most of us instinctively shy away from.But according to Tash, this tension can foster collaboration and drive personal growth when channeled in the right ways.There's just one small problem.Conflict in the workplace often occurs when people give (or receive) feedback. But most of us aren't really great at this.So, instead of using feedback as a constructive opportunity, things either spiral out of control, or people conceal the key message out of politeness.In both cases, it's a missed opportunity.The art is to find that sweet spot between kindness and clarity, where we can give and receive feedback in a way that feels supportive and helps us grow.I have to say, Tash's journey from conflict avoidance to embracing tension is quite inspiring.So, if you want to turn those tough conversations into moments where you learn and grow the most, this episode has you covered.Tash made me think: What is the best feedback I've received, from whom, and what made it so powerful? What would be your answer...Enjoy the episode, and keep making a positive impact!~ Marc--- [ 1. GUIDE ] --- 00:00 Welcome to episode 22304:00 Embracing creative conflict05:45 What sparked her interest in this topic07:00 Take hard conversations10:30 Run towards the conflict13:00 Teaching conflict16:00 Opening up wounds19:00 Radical candor23:30 Avoiding hard talks21430 Overcoming avoidance27:00 Feedback and timing30:00 Giving & receiving feedback32:30 People solve problems35:00 Beyond reading design books38:00 Starving artist mindset39:15 Takeaways so far43:30 Drama triangle vs Empowerment triangle47:00 Creating self-awareness while drawing49:30 Drawing as journaling51:00 Ruthlessly curious53:00 Piece of advice54:45 Question to ponder55:00 Resources --- [ 2. LINKS ] --- https://www.linkedin.com/in/tashwillcocks/https://www.instagram.com/tashwillcockshttps://bsky.app/profile/tashwillcocks.bsky.socialResources:Radical Candor (Book)Radical Candor (Podcast)Turn the Ship around - BookLadder of leadership MindSpring Presents: "Greatness" by David MarquetJohari WindowGiving and receiving feedback - cards Susan Wheelan Team DevelopmentDrama and Empowerment TriangleScott Berkun - Why Design is hard --- [ 3. CIRCLE ] --- Join our private community for in-house service design professionals. ⁠https://servicedesignshow.com/circle

When advice goes wrong...My daughter is an avid soccer player.On a recent cold and dark Saturday morning, I was standing on the sideline cheering her on at a match - the priceless perks of being a dad.At some point, the opposing team coach was shouting to their players, "You need to defend better!" And all I could think to myself at that moment was, "That's terrible advice." Not because they were defending well - rather the opposite. But, I mean, "defend better" - would you know what you're supposed to do? Should I press higher, get closer to the attacker, make more forward runs? This type of advice often just leads to more confusion and coordination problems.Now, in design, we also get this type of well-intended but counter-productive advice all too often.Want a classic example? How about "designers need to understand business"? No sh*t Sherlock.We hear this ALL the time.Very rarely does someone go beyond the surface and get specific about what "understanding business" actually means.Fortunately for us, we have someone on the Show today who does - Ryan Scott. Ryan has an impressive track record in design, but he also holds an MBA degree. This combination is quite unique and gives him the ability to look at challenges from different perspectives with empathy for both sides.So in this episode, we unpack what it actually takes to bridge the gap between business and design. You'll be surprised to hear how many skills you already have to make this crossover successfully. It's not easy, but it's not as hard or distant as you might think, either. MBA degree not required.So, if you've ever felt frustrated by the lack of respect and appreciation for design from "the business side," this conversation might just hold the clue on how you can turn that around.I've always said that designers can be some of the best salespeople. It's really time that we start using this power to our advantage. Because we are all selling already, every single day.Enjoy and keep making a positive impact!~ Marc--- [ 1. GUIDE ] --- 00:00 Welcome to episode 22203:00 Broad Designer Role05:00 Business vs. Users07:30 Why an MBA?11:00 Business for Designers14:00 People Skills & Clout15:30 Design Gaslighting21:00 Joining the Conversation22:30 The Gap32:00 Management-Led Design34:00 Shaping Your Perspective36:00 Sales & Brand38:00 Biggest Roadblock41:30 Reframing Our Identity46:15 Adapting to the System48:45 Imposter Syndrome51:45 Proving Your Impact54:00 Competitive Analysis56:30 Design Career Path1:01:00 Question to Ponder1:02:15 Resources --- [ 2. LINKS ] --- https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanscottcreative/ How to win friends and influence people by Dale Carnegie (book) - https://a.co/d/0VTXtJ3 48 laws of power by Robert Greene (book) - https://a.co/d/ftLLRom https://www.acceleratedesign.com/ Maven Learning - https://maven.com/ryan-scott --- [ 3. CIRCLE ] --- Join our private community for in-house service design professionals. ⁠https://servicedesignshow.com/circle

AI won't take over your job...An 8-year-old girl with AI will!Don't believe me? Check ou this video which was making the rounds on LinkedIn a while ago.In the video a young girl coding a Harry Potter quiz game with the help of AI. In a matter of minutes.It's a funny and striking example of where things are heading – or should I say, where they already are.It'd be naive to think service design won't be affected.But the current conversations about AI's impact often lack depth, nuance, and practical examples.We don't seem to get much further than: "AI is good" or "AI is bad."What are we even talking about when we say "AI"? We need to unpack it. Go beyond the surface.Fortunately, our guest for this episode has done some of the heavy lifting for us.As an educator at one of the leading design institutes, Pablo Fernández Vallejo has to live in the future.He's always thinking about the skills future professionals will need in 4 years' time when they graduate. And of course, being able to make full use of AI is high on the list right now.So in this episode, we sit down and talk about big questions like: Do we need to become AI experts ourselves, or should we focus on further developing our critical thinking skills? What are the risks and opportunities of bringing AI into the design process? What are the tasks that we can safely outsource to AI and which ones should we be more careful with.So, whether you're an AI skeptic or optimist, I feel this conversation will challenge your thinking and help you make more informed decisions moving ahead.A thought-provoking question in this episode is what will happen to our professional identities when AI starts to blur the boundaries between disciplines. It's not a question of if it will happen, but how quickly.Curious to hear your thoughts, so make sure to leave a comment on below.Enjoy and keep making a positive impact.~ Marc--- [ 1. GUIDE ] ---00:00 Welcome to Episode 22104:00 Grandparents' influence on AI perspective06:00 Over-represented large language models08:30 AI with a bias11:00 Designing at the age of AI14:00 Current state of designing with AI17:30 Automation vs. Augmentation19:30 AI’s Impact on Students26:30 AI Possibilities vs. Limits29:00 AI & Expertise Balance30:00 Calculator analogy32:30 AI & Service Commoditization35:00 How AI impacts non-digital services38:00 AI power dynamics38:30 Service design for ai42:30 AI as an active participant44:30 Gaps in the society47:15 Questions we should be asking53:00 Sustainability & AI55:00 Learning about past mistakes57:00 Tech development and society conversation59:30 The future we can build1:00:40 Resources1:02:00 Questions to ponder --- [ 2. LINKS ] --- https://www.linkedin.com/in/pablofernandezvallejo Co-Intelligence: Living and Working with AI by Ethan Mollick (Book) Pablo's talk on Impact of AI in Service Design Pablo's post-SDGC article on the state of the conversation https://www.fernandezvallejo.com/ --- [ 3. CIRCLE ] ---Join our private community for in-house service design professionals.⁠https://servicedesignshow.com/circle

I crossed a line... Recently, while working on redesigning our online community platform, my excitement got the better of me. I dove headfirst into prototyping a few things in the backend system. "How hard could it be, right?" (Keep this line in mind throughout the rest of the email.) Sure, I know a thing or two about programming, and if everything else fails, there's always AI to help out, right? Well, the honest conclusion a few days later, when we brought in a true expert developer, was that I had no clue what I was doing. Before the developer could implement the updates properly, we had to undo all the changes I had made. So we lost time, not once, but twice. The silly thing is, this seems to be a habit I can't shake. And I see it a lot around me as well: saying yes to challenges that are better left to experts. Of course, there are many situations where being confident and experimental gets things done. Instead of waiting and debating, we build a prototype and iterate from there. Frankly, this approach is encouraged and celebrated in our design process. But... there's a major pitfall. In the story above, the cost of my "how hard can it be?" approach was lost time. That's unfortunate but not something that will cause any major, long-term damage. Now, imagine working in a context where the stakes are much higher. Where you're intervening in people's lives. Where your solutions impact the well-being of communities. Where your approach has the potential to reduce—or increase—systemic inequalities. KA McKercher, our guest in this episode, argues that in those scenarios, we can't just rush in and take on every project that comes our way. Because when we do, and we go in with a beginner's mindset, chances are high that we might end up causing actual harm to the people who need help the most. In those situations, losing time on a project is the least of your worries. There are clearly much bigger stakes at play. So the tough question becomes: How do we know which challenges are a good fit for our skillset and which ones should we say no to? Especially when we want to do good and contribute to a positive outcome in those high-stakes challenges. Having the self-awareness to know you limits and limitations is a sign of maturity and professionalism. If you care about growing your self-awareness, this is a conversation you don't want to miss. --- [ 1. GUIDE ] --- 00:00 Welcome to Episode 220 04:00 Good intentions are not enough 06:30 Why this matters 09:00 Lived experience aligning to design 12:30 What's good enough? 14:30 What is co-facilitation 16:30 Emotional curiosity 20:30 Being conscious of the water 27:00 What to do 30:30 Is it a yes or no? 35:00 Intentions 38:30 What's within the scope 41:00 Material based practices 45:30 Impostor syndrome 48:30 Reviews on the article 50:00 Hoping the conversation evolves 52:00 When it's out of your scope 54:30 When to step away 58:00 Question to ponder --- [ 2. LINKS ] --- https://www.linkedin.com/in/ka-mckercher Ethical Curiosity with Trans and Non-Binary Clients by Lucie Fielding (book) www.BeyondStickyNotes.com --- [ 3. CIRCLE ] --- Join our private community for in-house service design professionals. ⁠https://servicedesignshow.com/circle

You've never heard this on the Show before... I'm referring to a design tool that most people disregard, even laugh about when they first hear about it. They say it's childish, something you can't take seriously in a professional context. But as you'll hear in today's conversation, this tool holds immense power. Not only that, it helps you better align with your true self and what you truly want to contribute to the world. And the best thing? You already have this tool in your possession. We all do. So, what is this magical tool? It's your dreams. Now, I know what you're thinking. Dreams, really?! But hear me out, it's actually not that crazy. Why do we always talk about design thinking and design doing, and not about design dreaming? If anything, I'd argue that the times we live in demand we dream more to envision a better future. Our amazing guest, Courtney Morgan, helps us tap into the power of our dreams. She shares practical examples of the power of collective dreaming. We address the misconceptions around dreaming and discuss how to get people to tap into and share their dreams in a design process. You'll notice that the conversation doesn't begin with dreams, but we naturally gravitate in that direction and fall down the rabbit hole. So, if you want to go beyond the usual design tools and methods and tap into something truly transformative... make sure you don't miss this episode. A simple practice to become more aware of your dreams is to start writing them down. This is what I've incorporated into my morning routine. Very curious to see what effects this will have in a few months. Enjoy and keep making a positive impact. ~ Marc --- [ 1. GUIDE ] --- 00:00 Welcome to episode 219 03:30 Defining "one percent" 05:00 Focus of the 1% 13:00 Non-profit & community 13:50 Importance of lived experiences in work 17:00 Building trust first 18:30 What happens with lack of trust 21:30 Designer vs Community member role 24:00 A "World Creator" role 26:30 5 years ago vs today 30:30 What is efficiency? 33:00 What does good look like 34:30 Patience and her son 36:30 The role of dreaming 39:00 Courtney's dream 41:00 How we can become better dreamers 43:30 Prejudice against collective dreaming 47:30 Unsurppressing dreams 54:00 Advice she wished someone told her 59:30 Question to ponder --- [ 2. LINKS ] --- https://www.linkedin.com/in/courtney-morgan-associate-aia-noma ⁠https://www.thescrd.com/ --- [ 3. CIRCLE ] --- Join our private community for in-house service design professionals. ⁠https://servicedesignshow.com/circle

This one is a bit different... Not the usual interview that you're used to. In this episode, you'll actually hear me answering the questions. Why? Well, it's become a bit of a tradition to start the year by reflecting on the lessons learned while building the Circle community. The Circle started 3.5 years ago as an idea to see what would happen if we created a safe space for in-house service design professionals to connect and share regularly. Today, it's grown to a healthy size with members from companies across the globe and in almost any industry you can imagine — from big tech to church organizations (I kid you not!). Service design professionals are everywhere these days. I'm very grateful for where the community is today, but it certainly hasn't been a straight line up. Designing a service (which is essentially what our community is) for service designers is quite hard, who would have thought? ;) So, for this episode, I sat down with Ru Butler who's one of our Circle Council members to discuss the biggest wins, challenges, and ambitions for the coming year. Even if you're not working in-house, I think you'll still enjoy this behind-the-scenes look at how we're thinking about and trying to design our community. I'd love to hear what you think of this episode format. Would you like to hear it more often? How could we make it better? Any other feedback is welcome, too. Send me a message or reach out on LinkedIn. Happy 2025 and take care, Marc --- [ 1. GUIDE ] --- 00:00 The Circle 2024 Special episode 03:00 Who is Ru 04:30 What stood out last year 09:30 Marc's key motivations 13:00 Ru's Circle Highlights: 1-on-1s 17:30 Benefits of 1-on-1s: accountability 19:00 Leading the Circle community 24:30 Favorite sessios in 2024 31:00 The community's growth 37:00 The importance of community 43:00 2025 Vision and The Loop 46:00 The follow-through 48:30 Seasons for the Circle 2025 54:00 2025 Goals 58:00 For the Self-Doubting Designers --- [ 2. LINKS ] --- https://www.linkedin.com/in/rubutler https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcfonteijn Advancing Service Design Talk: Increase your confidence, influence, and impact --- [ 3. CIRCLE ] --- Join our private community for in-house service design professionals. ⁠https://servicedesignshow.com/circle

First of all, I want to wish you a very happy 2025. We're starting the new year with a bang. Journey Management has been a hot topic for the last two years, and for good reason. The shift from mapping to management might seem small, but it's a major change in how we and our clients approach things. If you've been following the Show for a while, you know we are keeping up with these developments as they unfold. So, I thought it would be great to invite a good friend and long-time partner of the Show, Jochem van der Veer, back to kick 2025 off with some predictions. As CEO of TheyDo, Jochem is building one of the most innovative companies in this space. So I think it's fair to say that he has a front-row seat to how companies are adopting (or not) Journey Management. In this conversation, we discuss how journey management has evolved, the challenges of scaling it, which organizations are succeeding, and what's next (including AI's influence). Oh, and we announce a new conference... Join us for a great episode that's going to give you a head start on your Journey Management journey this year. What are YOUR predictions for this year? Leave a comment on YouTube (or Spotify). It'll be fun to revisit them next year 🙂 Enjoy the conversation, and once again Happy 2025! Take care, ~ Marc --- [ 1. GUIDE ] --- 00:00 Welcome to episode 218 05:00 Looking back at the previous episode 06:45 Market shifts 09:00 Churn discussion 13:45 What's changed in TheyDo 15:45 Unexpected design challenges 19:30 Journey Management cornerstones 21:00 Automating everything 25:00 Jochem's Journey Management view 29:00 Journey as a tool 33:15 Cross-Functional challenges 36:00 Prioritization rituals 39:30 Customer alignment 45:00 Team adoption patterns 48:30 Specific problem solving 50:00 Industry roadblock 53:30 2026 hopes 54:30 Upcoming Conference 1:02:00 Jochem's 2025 outlook 1:03:00 Chat interface 1:07:00 Question to ponder --- [ 2. LINKS ] --- https://www.linkedin.com/in/jochemvanderveer/ https://www.theydo.com/beyond-the-map --- [ 3. CIRCLE ] --- Join our private community for in-house service design professionals. ⁠https://servicedesignshow.com/circle

There's a problem with the current design process that often goes unnoticed... A problem that can lead to less-than-ideal outcomes or, even worse, harm certain communities. To understand this, we must acknowledge our huge responsibility as design professionals. We're often the only ones advocating for our users' needs, the voice of those who aren't in the room. It's a privilege we shouldn't take lightly. We make decisions, and judgment calls for the people we're designing for. Of course, we do our best with the best intentions, but we always will fall short. Why? Because we aren't the users. We don't live their lives or experience their struggles. Sure, let there be no doubt: having someone advocate for users is a good start, but it's not enough. We can do better; we must do better. Our guest, ​Sloan Leo Cowan​, helps us see what "better" looks like. The key is to move away from "designing for" or even "designing with" users and move towards "designing by" them. It means giving up control and power. Sound impossible? Sloan Leo shares practical examples of how they've achieved this in their work. This episode will show you a way forward if you care about creating more inclusive and equitable work. Stop designing WITH your users! There is a better way. As you'll hear, Sloan Leo's perspective on design challenges the status quo. We really need this to push the boundaries of design and ensure it stays relevant. Keep making a positive impact! Take care, ~ Marc --- [ 1. GUIDE ] --- 00:00 Welcome to Episode 217 04:00 Sloan's social sector journey 08:15 Defining Community? 10:15 Service design "habits" (issues) 12:45 Neutrality in Interpretation 15:15 Facilitator vs. Interpreter Roles 18:45 Facilitating towards beliefs 19:30 Power Dynamics in Facilitation 21:15 Binary thinking in service design 26:45 Issue: Persona Development & Gender 31:45 Origins of Community Design Issues 36:00 How to approach the large scale 38:15 Open source approach 40:30 The challenges for service designers 41:45 Benefits for Communities and Designers 43:45 Advice for Aspiring Designers 47:15 Recommended Resources 51:45 Proudest Achievements 54:15 Keys to Success 56:45 Additional Resources 57:30 Questions for Reflection --- [ 2. LINKS ] --- Pronouns they/he https://www.linkedin.com/in/sloanleo Website - floxstudio.com or sloanleo.com --- [ 3. CIRCLE ] --- Join our private community for in-house service design professionals. ⁠https://servicedesignshow.com/circle

There is no service design... Without high-quality research. Sure, we all know that. But doing good research is hard. Kate Towsey, often called the inventor of the ResearchOps field, can certainly attest to this. If you're a dedicated listener of the show, you might remember Kate from our conversation about a year ago where she shared that she was writing a book. Well, that book, titled "Research that Scales", has officially been published! And with a 4.9/5 rating on Amazon, it seems to have struck a chord with readers. Of course, we had to get Kate back on the show to discuss it. In this conversation we delve into topics like: Do we need to scale research, and if so why? What does "scale" actually mean in the context of research? When should you start thinking about scaling? What are the key steps to scaling research? What role can AI play in all of this? Will it take over our jobs? Why did it take Kate 3.5 years to publish the book? And as always, that's just the tip of the iceberg. It's hard to imagine a service design professional who wouldn't be interested in the topics we cover in this episode. Good research isn't just a nice-to-have; it's a must. Without giving away too many spoilers, I found it fascinating that it's not actually research that you need to (or can) scale, but something else. Something that we as a community are pretty good at. Can you guess what it is? Enjoy and keep making a positive impact! ~ Marc --- [ 1. GUIDE ] --- 00:00 Welcome to Episode 216 03:00 Quick overview about scaling research 04:00 Why she wrote the book 09:30 Pandemic's impact on the book 13:00 Research rabbit hole 15:00 Unscalable Research: What to Avoid 18:30 What is enough research? 22:00 The problem she saw 25:00 The main bottlenecks 27:45 Libriarian's role in making the change 31:00 How the process work 33:00 Knowledge as a network vs tree 35:30 Maximizing efficient use of library 39:00 Designing the system 41:00 Knowledge vs. Learning: Value Proposition 43:00 Cost center vs value center 47:00 AI and Research: A Synergistic Future 49:00 Cost of scaling: A Trade-off 51:00 Strategic approach to scaling 53:00 How to know when to scale 54:30 Her readers insights 56:00 Upcoming masterclasses 58:00 Resources 58:30 Food for thought --- [ 2. LINKS ] --- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katetowsey/ Website: https://katetowsey.com/ Substack: https://katetowsey.substack.com --- [ 3. CIRCLE ] --- Join our private community for in-house service design professionals. ⁠https://servicedesignshow.com/circle

What is strategy... A plan for how you intend to achieve your goals? That's how a lot of people define strategy. But there's a problem with this rigid approach... As Mike Tyson wisely said once: "Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face." Most strategies are too prescriptive about how the goal needs to be achieved. But we live in a VUCA world where it's getting harder and harder to predict what will happen, even just weeks ahead. The sphere of what an organization can control is shrinking (and control is an illusion anyway). What seemed like a wise action last week might be irrelevant today, thanks to new technology, a sudden global crisis, or a certain election outcome... Following your strategy in this scenario might mean you're executing what you agreed to, but it could very well lead you away from your intended goal. So, when there is so little we can control and predict, does that mean we shouldn't do any strategizing at all? Certainly not. We just need to adopt a more emergent approach. We still need a plan to align everyone, but one that allows for more flexibility and deciding in the moment what the right next step is. What does this type of strategy look like, and how do we get there? That's something ​Peter Compo​ has written ​a great book​ about, and I've invited him on the Show to share his learnings with us. We talk about: Why research is becoming an increasingly important capability for any organization. How we can know we'll achieve our goals if we don't know at the start which actions to take. And how to help an organization used to control and prediction embrace uncertainty and flexibility. I know this episode will resonate with many service design professionals. It ties strongly to our mantra of "doing the right things" and not just focusing on "doing things right." Strategy can be a very abstract term without much substance. But what I appreciated in our conversation is that Peter makes things super practical. It's time to roll up your sleeves and get to work on your strategy. Enjoy and keep making a positive impact. ~ Marc --- [ 1. GUIDE ] --- 00:00 Welcome to Episode 215 03:30 Music and emergence 06:00 How he got into writing the book 10:30 Pete's perspective in strategy 16:00 The theory of emergence 20:00 constraints & trust 26:30 Bridging the gap of uncertainty 30:30 Letting Go of Control 36:30 Examples of good metrics 41:00 False learning organization 46:30 Trusting your team 50:30 Aspiration-bottleneck triad 57:00 another recommendation 59:00 Strategy matrix 01:04:00 Personal Impact on writing 01:09:00 Resources 1:11:00 Question to ponder --- [ 2. LINKS ] --- https://www.linkedin.com/in/petercompo/ The Emergent Approach to Strategy (book) by Peter Compo - www.emergentapproach.com Peter Compo Music - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJsn2zbnx8dwvHJrisdkAtg --- [ 3. CIRCLE ] --- Join our private community for in-house service design professionals. ⁠https://servicedesignshow.com/circle

An exciting new conference is just around the corner, ​Advancing Service Design 2024​. We ​recently had a chat​ with Lou Rosenfeld, the conference organizer, about key ideas behind the conference. Now, we're doing a deep dive into the two-day conference program with ​Sylvie Abookire​, who's part of the curation team. In this episode, you'll hear about the main themes, the inspiring (and somewhat surprising) speakers, and of course how it all ties together to advance our field. Sure, you can also get some of this info on the conference website, but I promise this conversation is much more fun 🙂 I'll be presenting at the conference about the latest insights from the Salary Report and lessons learned from building the Circle community. Want to join one of my sessions? Send me an email or reach out on LinkedIn, and I'll let you know how you can attend even without a conference ticket. ~ ~ ~ 🎟️ Want to attend Advancing Service Design? Well, you're in luck! 💰 Answer the simple question over here at ⁠https://www.servicedesignshow.com/asdc2024-survey⁠ to get a 10% discount on your ticket. But that's not all! 🏆 When you sign up using this code, you'll automatically enter a contest where you can win sweet prizes. --- [ 1. GUIDE ] --- 00:00 A Special Episode with Sylvie 02:45 Sylvie's role in the conference 04:30 Conference schedule & format 06:00 Biggest conference challenge 07:30 The final 8 speakers 10:00 What the conference means to Sylvie 12:00 Day 1: Designing in the system 14:30 Day 1: format 16:00 Day 1: The panel 17:00 Audience interaction 19:00 Day 2: Designing with the system 22:30 How we hope the conference impacts 24:00 Sylvie's workshops after the conference 27:00 The most fun part of the conference 28:00 Key Takeaways 28:00 Visibility & Impact 32:00 Conference Details & Tickets 32:30 Giveaway --- [ 2. LINKS ] --- https://www.linkedin.com/in/sylvieabookire/ Get your tickets here - https://rosenfeldmedia.com/advancing-service-design/ --- [ 3. CIRCLE ] --- Grow your confidence, influence, and impact! Join the community for in-house service design professionals. ⁠https://servicedesignshow.com/circle