Service Design Show

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

I remember being subscribed to this email newsletter from a guy named Josh, all about email marketing (kind of meta)... Every single day, a new email from Josh would pop up in my inbox, and I'd open it right away. These emails were different, a bit weird even, but in the best way possible. Each one would start with something that felt totally random, a story about something Josh experienced. No mention of email marketing whatsoever. But every time I was hooked. I just had to know how the story ended. And then, bam, right at the end, with just two or three lines he'd tie it all back to email marketing in a way that just clicked. Those emails weren't just informative; they were actually enjoyable, to the point that I looked forward to them. Now being able to hold someone's attention like that always seemed like a magic superpower to me... but I learned that it's not. In this episode, Gabrielle Dolan, who's been teaching the craft of storytelling for over 20 years, reveals how you can grow your storytelling skills and use them to communicate your message in a way that stick and, most of all inspires action. And as service design professionals, we know that getting people to take action is critical for change but also very challenging. So whether you consider yourself a natural storyteller or not, this episode is packed with practical wisdom you won't want to miss. Josh, by the way, stopped sending his daily emails a while ago, but as you've noticed his lessons have stuck with me. Enjoy the episode and keep making a positive impact! Take care, ~ Marc --- [ 1. GUIDE ] --- 00:00 Welcome to Episode 214 03:30 Power of stories 06:00 Why stories make communication better 08:00 Dealing with skepticism 13:00 Why Organizations seek facts over stories 14:30 Story-Resistant Culture 18:00 Practical tips in becoming better storytellers 23:00 Finding your stories 24:00 Using spreadsheets 28:00 How to be comfortable using them 31:30 How to see if it's working (Tracking progress 34:00 Indicators of Success 37:00 Potential of backfiring 39:00 Gauging level of emotion 42:00 Advise from Ral 44:00 How Ral's storytelling evolved 45:30 How to use AI in storytelling 48:30 Storytelling vs acting 49:30 What's next in her storytelling journey 51:30 What kept her going 52:30 Resources 55:30 Question to ponder --- [ 2. LINKS ] --- https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabrielledolan/ https://gabrielledolan.com/ Magnetic Stories by Gabrielle Dolan (Book) - https://a.co/d/aA780d8 --- [ 3. CIRCLE ] --- Join our private community for in-house service design professionals. ⁠https://servicedesignshow.com/circle

I'm excited... There's a brand new conference just around the corner – ​Advancing Service Design​ – and it's organized by none other than Rosenfeld Media, the publisher behind some of the most iconic books in our field. Now you might be thinking... another conference? But trust me, this one is different. That's why I invited ​Lou Rosenfeld​ himself onto the Show to give us the inside scoop. In this episode, you'll learn: * Why Lou decided to launch a brand new conference. * Who is Advancing Service Design for? And what makes the conference different. So if you're curious about what all the excitement is about, make sure to tune in to this conversation. And as you can guess by the title there will be a part 2 where we'll dive deep into the full conference lineup and speakers. --- Want to attend Advancing Service Design? Well, you're in luck! Answer the simple question over here https://www.servicedesignshow.com/asdc2024-survey to get a 10% discount on your ticket. But that's not all! When you sign up using the provided code, you'll automatically enter a contest where you can win sweet prizes. --- [ 1. GUIDE ] --- 00:00 Welcome to a Special Episode 01:30 Q&A with Lou 03:30 Long-Awaited Service Design Conference 06:00 Why Service Design Now? 08:45 Conference Program 12:00 Target Audience 14:00 Conference Success Secrets 19:00 Benefit in Time, Support, and Labor prep 20:00 Why Ben Reason and Patrick Quattlebaum 23:00 Speaker Insights 26:00 Speaker highlights 30:00 What to expect 33:00 What Lou looks forward to 36:30 How to get tickets 39:15 Topics to stay tuned to --- [ 2. LINKS ] --- Get your Advancing Service Design tickets here: https://rosenfeldmedia.com/advancing-service-design/ --- [ 3. CIRCLE ] --- Join our private community for in-house service design professionals. ⁠https://servicedesignshow.com/circle

Sure, everyone's talking about Journey Management, but few are actually doing it well... It's one thing to map out customer journeys, but quite another to truly manage them. The frameworks and models look great on paper, but reality is often far messier. Most organizations struggle to get a handle on even one journey, let alone a dozen! So I'm excited that Florian Vollmer, a true pioneer in this field, returns to the Service Design Show to share his hard-won wisdom. You might remember him from his previous appearance on the Show where he talked about managing 100+ journeys at NCR. What's fascinating is that Florian got a rare opportunity when starting his new role at Autodesk – a chance to rebuild a Journey Management practice from the ground up, applying all the lessons from his previous experience. This is your classic "I wish I knew everything I know now at the start of this project. It would have been completed twice as fast and at half the cost."This time, we dive deep into the nitty-gritty of Journey Management, tackling tough questions like: Who really owns the journey? Are dedicated tools essential or just a distraction? Why getting granular at the touchpoint level is essential? What are the biggest challenges to launching Journey Management inside an organization? And the million-dollar question: how do you get buy-in and funding when you're just starting out? So if you're already knee-deep in Journey Management or just starting to explore it, I'm sure you'll appreciate Florian's honest perspective from the trenches. One of my biggest takeaways from this conversation was that, as Florian explains in detail, this is really hard work. So you have to have patience and be kind to yourself. Amen to that! Enjoy the conversation and keep making a positive impact. Take care, ~ Marc --- [ 1. GUIDE ] --- 00:00 Welcome to Episode 213 04:00 Looking back EP 168 05:15 Who is Florian 07:00 What is Journey Management 08:30 the momentum of journey management right now 13:00 How to manage customers 17:00 Balancing context switching 21:00 Evolving Role Perceptions 23:30 good quality vs great quality 26:00 Organic conversations vs Priorities 35:30 Who owns the journey? 39:30 Building momentum for change 42:30 Biggest key lessons 46:00 Journey management vs collaborations 48:30 Understanding journey management 55:15 Stay tuned for another episode with Florian 56:30 Resources --- [ 2. LINKS ] --- https://www.linkedin.com/in/florianvollmer/ Journey Management Alliance https://journeymanagement.substack.com --- [ 3. CIRCLE ] --- Join our private community for in-house service design professionals. ⁠https://servicedesignshow.com/circle

This might be the most profound conversation I've recorded this year... What if I told you that the puzzle of how to measure and quantify the value of design has already been solved? I know, it sounds too good to be true, right? But hear me out. We all struggle to express the value of design in metrics that businesses understand. The result? We often cut ourselves short because we can't present the impact of our work in a neat spreadsheet. It's frustrating, especially when we see decisions being made that make no sense to us based on "our data". There are many reasons why it's hard to quantify the return on investment of (service) design. We're creating value on a systemic level. We're doing it in co-creation, so attribution is a nightmare. The effects of our work sometimes take a long time to materialize. And the list goes on. So, is all hope lost? Do we throw our hands up in the air? Of course not. Recently, while researching better alternatives to hierarchical goal structures (which are inherently broken), I stumbled upon an article by Stacey Barr. I had never heard of Stacey or her work before. This discovery led me down a massive rabbit hole. Stacey is a leading expert on performance measurement. Over the last 20 years, she has developed and refined a methodology to measure, track, and improve performance that's being used in over 40 countries. The more I read about this methodology, the more I felt that this could be the breakthrough we've been looking for in the design field. I have to be careful not to raise expectations too high, but... Stacey is an unusual guest for the Show. Someone who's completely outside of our design bubble. And that's why this turned out to be such an interesting and eye-opening conversation. In this episode, you'll learn that there is a systemic and reliable approach to figuring out what and how you can measure the impact of design. You can take this approach and apply it to your work today! And best of all, as you'll hear, the approach builds upon a lot of the elements that we as a design community are already familiar with. I hope this episode will show you that we can actually get to measuring the things that matter, not just the things that are easy to measure. And maybe, even maybe, get you a little bit excited about measurement (yes, that's actually possible)! A part that I really liked in our conversation is when we rolled up our sleeves, took an abstract goal like "increasing the sense of belonging," and went step-by-step on how to break this down into more concrete and quantifiable metrics. This exercise really brought things home for me. Keep making a positive impact! ~ Marc --- [ 1. GUIDE ] --- 00:00: Welcome to Episode 212 04:00: Marc's rant on KPIs 05:30: Who is Stacy 08:00: Measuring service design 09:30: Evidence and numbers 13:00: Circle example 16:00: Measuring qualitative aspects 18:00: Quantifying "sense of belonging" 21:00: Circle buddies and belonging 27:00: If you can't experiment... 29:30: Client's vague goals & measurement 34:00: Handling vague ideas & measurement 38:30: Showing value and impact 39:00: Individual vs. team effort 43:00: Qualitative approach 44:00: Significant change method 48:00: Circle community tension 52:00: Measuring systemic impact 58:00: Perfection and systemic impact 1:00:30: Importance of the whole story 1:02:30: Compassion and starting small 1:04:00: Starting small with systemic thinking 1:06:30: Resources for systemic design --- [ 2. LINKS ] --- https://www.linkedin.com/in/staceybarr/ Results Map: https://www.staceybarr.com/measure-up/a-measurable-strategy-on-a-single-page/ Streamlined PuMP approach: https://www.staceybarr.com/measure-up/12-easy-steps-get-started-lean-kpi-methodology/ What is a measure: https://www.staceybarr.com/measure-up/kpis-performance-measures/ --- [ 3. CIRCLE ] --- Join our private community for in-house service design professionals. ⁠https://servicedesignshow.com/circle

Let's start with an "easy" question today... Is design a force for good, or just another cog in the capitalist machine? I know many design professionals are grappling with this question. We see design's potential to have a positive impact but often find ourselves frustrated by its misuse as a tool for profit at any cost. The overflowing landfills, the disposable products... These are reminders of design's unintended consequences. And while we yearn to challenge the status quo, to advocate for sustainable and ethical solutions, we often face resistance from those prioritizing short-term gains. Yeah, it's a delicate balance. So how can we raise our voices as activists without jeopardizing our livelihoods? How do we ensure that our work benefits not only our (internal) clients but also society and the planet? Our guest, ​Jennifer Rittner​, has dedicated her career to exploring these questions. In the conversation, we delve into the complex relationship between design, ethics, and culture. Do we need a moral compass for the design industry? How much responsibility do we, as designers, bear for the impact of our work? What kind of culture do we want to shape through our designs? If anything, this episode invites you to step back from your daily tasks and reflect on the bigger picture. It's an opportunity to clarify your purpose as a professional and think about how you can align your work to that. So if that sparks your interest, join us for an inspiring chat. Let's be honest, in a world obsessed with instant gratification, it's crucial to pause every now and than to consider the long-term consequences of our actions. We owe it to generations to come. Enjoy and keep making a positive impact. ~ Marc --- [ 1. GUIDE ] --- 00:00 Welcome to Episode 211 03:30 Recalibrating Social Dynamics 05:00 Design and Social Dynamics 10:00 Is there an alternative? 17:30 How her approach changed 19:00 Marc's background 24:00 Solution before building 25:00 Designer reflection 26:30 Accountability in design 32:00 The landfill problem example 38:00 What's holding us back? 43:00 How to be better humans 47:15 How we label success 51:30 Her thoughts on designers 58:00 Balancing what to make 1:00:00 "The Lab culture" 1:03:30 Power to change 1:06:30 Resources --- [ 2. LINKS ] --- https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-rittner Design needs to grow up and take responsibility / George Aye / Episode #194 - https://youtu.be/tzGf6T_mMpE --- [ 3. CIRCLE ] --- Join our private community for in-house service design professionals. ⁠https://servicedesignshow.com/circle

Ever feel like the weight of the world on your shoulders as a service design professional... That you're constantly juggling your "actual" work with the complexities of organizational processes and structures? Well, I've said it before and I'll say it again: Our DesignOps friends are here to lighten that load. They enable us to focus on what we do best - design – by handling the operational intricacies that so often slow us down, and drain our energy. I've heard many firsthand stories of how transformative a DesignOps partner can be. But to fully unlock the potential of this partnership, we need to understand what's happening in the ever-evolving DesignOps world. That's why I'm very excited to have Meredith Black join us on the Show. Having contributed to building DesignOps teams at major companies like The New York Times, Pinterest, and Figma, and as co-founder of the largest online DesignOps community, Meredith is one of the most influential and well-informed people on the planet when it comes to DesignOps. In this episode, we dove into questions like: * What does it take to grow a successful DesignOps practice inside your org? * How does the shift towards remote work impact DesignOps strategies? * Why effective DesignOps might initially not look like what you'd expect? * And what's Meredith's secret for quickly gaining momentum and buy-in? Whether your organization already has an established DesignOps practice or you're just beginning to explore this field, I'm confident that the lessons Meredith shares in this conversation will make you a better service design professional. With the risk of over-exaggerating, tapping into Meredith's years of hard won wisdom feels a bit like cheating. So if you want to know how DesignOps can help you deliver your best work, don't miss out on this conversation. As you'll hear, DesignOps has faced quite some challenges in recent years. But at the same time it's clear that the train has left the station and will continue to move forward. DesignOps is here to stay and the future is brighter future than ever. --- [ 1. GUIDE ] --- 00:00 Welcome to Episode 210 04:00 Her credibility for this topic 07:00 Mental shift in Design Ops 13:00 Hard conversations 16:30 Recalibrating expectations 19:00 Living up to promises 24:00 advertising model) vs subscriber model 27:30 Building those relationships 29:30 Make or Break in Design Ops 33:15 Slow consistent progress vs immediate results 37:00 Clients confusion about our role 41:15 Judging your success 45:00 Community building expectations 48:00 Our hope for the community 50:00 How we can help realize that wish 51:30 Resources --- [ 2. LINKS ] --- https://www.linkedin.com/in/msmeredithblack/ https://x.com/msmeredithblack DesignOps Assembly - https://www.designopsassembly.com/⁠ Kate Towsey's Books - https://katetowsey.com/book DesignOps Summit 2024- https://rosenfeldmedia.com/designops-summit/2024/register/ --- [ 3. CIRCLE ] --- Join our private community for in-house service design professionals. ⁠https://servicedesignshow.com/circle

Sure, AI is pretty cool, but have you heard of something called Retrieval-Augmented-Generation (RAG)... We don't often spotlight specific tech on the Show, but RAG? I firmly believe that RAG has the potential to shake up service design in a big way. Imagine having a super-powered teammate on every project. This teammate has the ability to recall every meeting, every workshop, and every sticky note, not just yours but your entire team's, even from years ago. Not just yours but your whole team's. Ask them a question, and a few seconds later, they've got the answer. It's like being able to have a conversation with your entire project history. Just think about the impact of this for a moment. Now, we all know about those fancy Large Language Models (LLMs) like ChatGPT. Amazing, right? But they're not trained on your data. Ask them about your project, and you'll get... well, something made up. But what if you could combine the conversational magic of LLMs with the deep knowledge of your own data? In a nutshell, this is RAG's promise. It lets those powerful LLMs tap into your world, giving you answers that are not only smart, but relevant. I've been tinkering with RAG to unlock the wisdom hidden in our Circle community discussions. But I'm far from an expert, so I brought in someone who is: Kirk Marple, founder of GraphLit, a startup using RAG to make your knowledge AI-friendly. In our conversation we dove deep. How do we even start with RAG? Do you need to be a coder? How do we make sure the answers you get are any good? What about privacy when AI sees your data? And that's just the start to be honest. What struck me was Kirk's idea that using AI is more art than science. It's about 'prompt sculpting', not (just) engineering. There's a lot of gray area, and that's where we as a design community shine. We should be all over this AI thing... What do you think? --- [ 1. GUIDE ] --- 00:00 Welcome to Episode 209 05:00 What Kirk does in life 10:00 AI for content discovery 14:00 AI and service design 16:00 Data retrieval with AI 19:00 Tracking unstructured data 22:00 Podcast metadata example 24:30 Vector search explained 30:00 AI vs human experience 35:00 Privacy concerns with AI 37:30 Large language models and understanding 41:00 Importance of graphs in AI 44:30 AI: art or science? 48:00 AI's growth and data processing 51:30 AI agents 56:00 Kirk's AI roadmap 57:30 Tips for AI beginners 59:00 Common AI terms 1:01:00 AI resources --- [ 2. LINKS ] --- https://www.linkedin.com/in/kirkmarple/ https://www.graphlit.com/ --- [ 3. CIRCLE ] --- Join our private community for in-house service design professionals. ⁠https://servicedesignshow.com/circle

How can we leave the world in a better place than we inherited it... And what's design's role in all of this? In this episode, we tackle these big questions with Steve Baty. Steve is an author, former political candidate, the current CEO of the Australian Design Council, and co-founder of the renowned Meld Studios. He joins us to confront the undeniable breakdown of our existing systems. Yes, as we've discussed in previous episodes, redesigning these systems is daunting, but Steve believes a turnaround is possible – and urgent. We explore how today's design decisions shape tomorrow's world, balancing profit with doing good for our planet. And I ask Steve the burning question: How can we know we're on the right track when our work's impact won't be felt for generations? But don't worry, I can assure you this isn't just about lofty ideals. We also discuss practical steps we all can take right now to make a difference. It's a good reminder that every monumental shift begins with the small steps. For me, this episode joins the playlist that makes us rethink what good (service) design looks like. So, I would love to hear from you: What does good design mean to you in the context of creating a better world? --- [ 1. GUIDE ] --- 00:00 Welcome to Episode 208 04:00 Who is Steve 07:00 Better Planet for Our Kids 09:30 Design's Role 13:00 The Landfill Problem 14:30 Why Haven't We Solved It? 17:00 Old Ways, New Challenges 18:00 Potential Changes 21:45 Decision-Making for Longevity 24:30 Designer's Dilemma 27:30 Staying Positive 30:34 Measuring Success 33:00 Products vs. Services 37:00 Reconnecting People and Nature 41:00 Accelerating Change 44:00 Government Intervention 45:30 What to Do? 48:30 Good Design Defined 51:00 Designing Standards 53:00 Final Thoughts --- [ 2. LINKS ] --- https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevebaty/ Designing Tomorrow by Steve Baty & Martin Tomitsch (Book) - https://www.designingtomorrowbook.com/ --- [ 3. CIRCLE ] --- Join our private community for in-house service design professionals. ⁠https://servicedesignshow.com/circle

Ever felt trapped in a service you couldn't escape... Trying to end a subscription only to face a frustrating maze of hurdles? Let's face it, service endings are often the worst experience ever. The good news is that it doesn't have to be this way. In fact, well-designed endings can be a secret weapon for your business. Think about it – when customers inevitably move on, what's the final impression they take with them? Sadly, most companies neglect or wilfully ignore this crucial stage of the customer lifecycle. They hide the cancel button, throw obstacles in your path, and make leaving feel like a punishment. It's a missed opportunity because, historically, businesses have focused all their energy on acquiring new customers rather than on gracefully saying goodbye. But what if we flipped the script? What if endings felt like graduations, where we celebrate customers moving on to new adventures? Could those who leave become our biggest fans? This isn't just a pipe dream. Joe Macleod, who's literally written the book on this topic (twice!), joins us on the Show to share how to design endings that leave a positive, lasting impact. We'll unpack the secrets of great endings, how they differ from beginnings, and the undeniable business case for getting this right. Trust me, this episode is an eye-opener. Once you hear it, you'll see opportunities everywhere to turn departing customers into brand ambassadors. So, if you don't want all your hard work building good customer relationships to go to waste when they leave, tune in and learn how to make every goodbye a fond farewell (and maybe even a new beginning!). --- [ 1. GUIDE ] --- 00:00 Welcome to episode 207 05:30 About Joe and Endings 07:00 Ending Journey 08:30 Joe's Passion for Endings 15:00 Businesses & Endings 18:00 Businesses & Status Quo? 20:00 Reassurance Endings 24:30 Divorce example 27:00 Measuring quality of an ending 35:00 Endings & Memberships 38:00 Alumni or Death Phase? 43:00 Healthcare Offboarding Example 47:00 Ex-Customers = Value 51:00 Importance of Alumnis 53:00 Pondering about Endings 55:00 3rd Book Preview 57:00 Giveaway announcement 58:00 Resources 59:00 Key Takeaways --- [ 2. LINKS ] --- https://www.linkedin.com/in/josephmacleod/ Endineering by Joe Macleod (Book) - https://www.andend.co/endineeringbook Ends by Joe Macleod (book) - https://www.andend.co/book www.andend.co --- [ 3. CONTEST ] --- To enter the contest, head over to the video version of this conversation on YouTube and leave a comment there to answer the question posed in the episode. https://go.servicedesignshow.com/207-youtube --- [ 4. CIRCLE ] --- Join our private community for in-house service design professionals. ⁠https://servicedesignshow.com/circle

Let's crack the code of proving design's impact on the bottom line... For this, we first have to go back to 2012. That year, a groundbreaking discovery was made at CERN. The existence of the Higgs Boson, a particle that had eluded scientists for over 40 years, was finally proven. You know what? I feel that this elusive quest is very similar to our own pursuit in the world of service design: proving the undeniable business value of design. We see its impact all around us, but providing it with hard evidence remains a struggle. Our guest this week, Ryan Rumsey, may hold the key that gets us closer to unlocking this mystery. One reason the Higgs Boson took so long to find was that the researchers were unsure where to look. As former Apple executive, author of "Business Thinking for Designers," and founder of the Chief Design Officer School, Ryan proposes that we, just as the researchers at CERN, may have been looking in the wrong place all along. Many companies, he argues, don't actually need (good) design to turn a profit, which makes it difficult to isolate its added value. But fear not, there are tested and tried methods to uncover the correlation between our work and its impact on the bottom line. As you'll hear in this episode, it might not be as complex as we sometimes are made to believe; it could simply be a matter of putting in the work. The discovery of the Higgs Boson faced similar challenges, requiring unwavering determination and persistence. This is an episode about business speak, statistics and our self-worth. And somehow, it's still quite entertaining if you ask me. So if you're even remotely interested being able to clearly articulate the value you bring to your organization, you don't miss out on this one! I echo Ryan's argument that every design professional, even those in-house, should embrace an entrepreneurial spirit. Understanding marketing, positioning, and even sales can be immensely beneficial. Ryan is truly one of a kind, and I'm always grateful to be able to learn from him. I hope you enjoy our conversation as much as I did. ~ Marc --- [ 1. GUIDE ] --- 00:00 Welcome to Episode 206 07:00 OKRs & KPIs 13:00 Rethinking Measurement 16:00 Strategy Mapping 22:00 Statistician Thinking 29:30 Measuring Impact 32:00 Google's Money Machine 33:30 The Implication 37:00 Beyond Best Service 37:30 Apple vs Dell: Design? 42:00 Management & Narrative 48:30 Design vs. Innovation 49:30 Minto Pyramid 52:30 EasyJet Example 57:30 Defining Good Work 1:02:45 Community Matters 1:08:00 Key Takeaways 1:09:30 How You Can Help Ryan --- [ 2. LINKS ] --- https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanrumsey/ https://www.letsjumpship.com/ --- [ 3. CIRCLE ] --- Join our private community for in-house service design professionals. ⁠https://servicedesignshow.com/circle

Good Services... A book that has quickly become a classic in our field. If you haven't read it yet, it's a must. It outlines the 10 principles of good services, which is pretty fundamental stuff. But even before writing it, Lou Downe was already an icon, creating impact as the Director of Design at the Government Digital Service in the UK. So when I heard through the grapevine that there was a sequel in the making, I just had to invite Lou back to the show. Interestingly enough, our conversation started with a question: Why, even after all these years, are we still trying to justify the value we bring to the table? There's nothing wrong with articulating our value, of course. But how can we make it a two-way street, rather than all the burden falling on us, the design community? These days, Lou runs the School of Good Design, where they help professionals tackle this very challenge. So in this episode, we get to tap into a wealth of practical advice based on their experience. But we didn't stop there. We also dive into: * What has changed since "Good Services" was published in 2020? * What drove Lou to write a follow-up, and how will it differ from the first one? * What does the future hold for service design? Lou dropped a surprise during our conversation. As the new book is still in the works, there's a unique opportunity for you to contribute! You'll hear all the details in the episode. --- [ 1. GUIDE ] --- 00:00 Welcome (keep the same) 04:00 Beyond Design Justification 05:20 Good Services Journey 08:00 The Gap: Bad Services 13:30 Finding Value's Middle Ground 16:00 External Validation 19:00 Misunderstanding Service Design 25:00 Lightbulb Moment 28:30 Great Service Example 31:30 Design vs. Service Pros 35:00 Understanding the Service 37:00 Service "Designers" debate 44:00 Understanding your role 48:00 Grow Service Design Skills 51:00 The New Service Book 53:00 New Book vs. Good Services 55:00 How We Can Help 56:30 Wrapping Up --- [ 2. LINKS ] --- https://www.linkedin.com/in/lou-downe-757a83b/ https://good.services/ https://good.services/home https://good.services/deadendspodcast https://good.services/contact --- [ 3. CIRCLE ] --- Join our private community for in-house service design professionals. ⁠https://servicedesignshow.com/circle

What are the materials of service design... A seemingly simple question, but one that I believe has the potential to reshape our understanding of service design. Historically, design has always been about shaping and manipulating materials to give form to things around us. It's only in recent years, with the popularization of design thinking, that design has drifted away from its roots and heritage of a craft. The focus shifted on -sometimes mindlessly- following a flawed double diamond process. Even though people over the recent years have tried to raise the question of what the materials of service design are, the conversation never really caught on. Something tells me that's about to change with the release of the book "The Materials of Service Design." (links below) This book, in my opinion, marks a turning point in the history of our field. Yes, I absolutely feel it's that important, and no, I'm not getting any commissions on the book sales. It offers a fresh, materials-based perspective that adds a much needed nuance and richness to how we think about service design. Imagine being able to have constructive conversations about designing with time, relationships, culture, and all the other materials that make up services. Imagine understanding the properties of these materials deeply enough to co-create a shared library of service design patterns. The implications are huge. This approach once again makes it clear that services can't be designed by a single person; they require the involvement of experts from many areas. It also challenges us to reimagine how we teach service design. All in all, it really does open up a world of new questions and possibilities. As you hopefully can read, I'm excited about the direction and trajectory that could take us. So, join ​Simon Clatworthy​, co-author of the book, and myself as we dive into this exciting new perspective of a materials-based approach to service design. --- [ 1. GUIDE ] --- 00:00 Welcome to Episode 204 04:30 Beyond the Toolkit 08:00 The 4 Unexpected Materials 11:00 Lost Essential? 16:30 Service Design vs. Design Thinking 20:00 Skills for Designing Services 24:00 Unveiling the Book's Materials 30:00 Data as Material: Conversations 34:00 Shaping Conversations 42:00 Time: A Material to Master 44:30 Measuring Time in Design 46:30 Specialization in Service Design 49:00 The Rise of Service Design Specialists 51:00 Co-Design: Your Service Design Team 54:30 The Responsibility of Design 58:00 Implications for Service Designers 1:01:00 Beyond Designers: Service Experts 1:06:00 The "Taste Buds" of a Service 1:07:00 A Library of Service Materials 1:09:00 Aesthetics of Service Design --- [ 2. LINKS ] --- https://www.linkedin.com/in/simon-clatworthy The Materials of Service Design (Book) - https://go.servicedesignshow.com/yl2ym 50% discount on the print copy with code: BLOM50 (valid until 31st July 2024) How to Read A Film by James Monaco (Book) - https://a.co/d/8Rv0ZE5 --- [ 3. CIRCLE ] --- Join our private community for in-house service design professionals. ⁠https://servicedesignshow.com/circle

What does it take to become a great design leader... Regardless of whether or not it's in your official job title, you're already leading to some degree. You are leading because your work is to deliver change. Change because we want to break free from outdated mental models that can't solve today's challenges. But what kind of leadership is needed to transform our organizations from the dehumanizing machines they are today into adaptable living beings? Returning guest Marzia Arico has some valuable perspectives on this. With a PhD in Organizational Studies and experience leading complex projects at LiveWork, she has many juicy insights to share with us. In this episode, we explore the emergence of a new, more empathetic leadership style that's quite different from the traditional notion of leadership. We discuss how to present ourselves confidently in our work, even when imposter syndrome is lurking around the corner. And we also delve into whether we should be explicit about the change we seek make or take a more trojan horse approach to influencing things. This is a must-listen episode for anyone who wants to step up, take charge, and offer an alternative to the current leaders who aren't doing what's required today. This conversation is a powerful reminder that we are all setting an example. Each and every day. So let's be intentional about what we want to put into the world. Take care and keep making a positive impact. ~ Marc --- [ 1. GUIDE ] --- 00:00 Welcome to Episode 203 03:30 Welcome back Marzia 04:30 Machines to Living Beings 11:30 What made her want to make the change 17:00 How to quickly build your confidence 21:30 From Machines to Living Orgs 30:30 Onboard with How, Not What 33:30 Conversation with the oblivious 40:00 Empathizing with the machine 42:00 The example of technology 46:00 Fast-tracking to leadership 47:00 Being strategic when you talk 50:30 Discussions to ponder 51:30 Food for thought --- [ 2. LINKS ] --- https://www.linkedin.com/in/marziaarico https://design.mavericks.substack.com https://strategicdesignbook.com/ --- [ 3. CIRCLE ] --- Join our private community for in-house service design professionals. ⁠https://servicedesignshow.com/circle

Why is it that we rarely question the systems that govern our day-to-day lives? Imagine building a rocket ship while still believing the sun revolves around the earth. Even though this sounds ridiculous today, it's not that long ago that this was the accepted notion. When Galileo first made the claim that it was actually the other way around, he even got jail time. Yeah, people don't really like it when their fundamental beliefs are put up for scrutiny. Our history is full of "truths" we later debunked. Okay, so what does this have to do with service design What if you're currently designing services that are based on flawed beliefs? There's certainly reason to think so. So, in this week's episode, we explore what these beliefs could be. For that, I have invited ​Fang-Jui Chang​ from the Dark Matter Labs to join us at the Show. In the conversation we dive into the hidden systems we take for granted, like ownership, currency, and even government. Fair warning: This episode will challenge your assumptions. It might even feel a bit like mental jiu-jitsu at first (it surely did for me). But once things click, a whole new world of possibilities opens up. And judging by the news, I would argue that we need a radical new perspective on how our world operates in many areas. So join me for a conversation that will challenge the way you see the world, question some fundamental "truths" and give you some fresh insights along the way. This is one of those episodes where I had to let the ideas marinade a bit. It's all too easy to dismiss them because they seem incompatible with how our existing worldview. But defer judgment, and you might be surprised what happens. Take care and keep making a positive impact. ~ Marc --- [ 1. GUIDE ] --- 00:00 Welcome to Episode 202 04:00 Who is Fang-Jui 07:00 How she got into SD 10:00 Lightning Round 12:30 All beings thriving 18:30 Outdated systems fail 23:00 Asking a river permission 30:00 What we took for granted 38:30 How to prevent overwhelm 46:00 Moving forward without panic 48:00 The skill that will help 51:30 what we can to help 1:01:00 where to reach them 1:01:30 One thing you can remember --- [ 2. LINKS ] --- https://radiclecivics.cc https://darkmatterlabs.org https://twitter.com/darkmatter_labs https://www.linkedin.com/company/darkmatterlabs Please get in touch with the Radicle Civics team via radiclecivics@darkmatterlabs.org if you are interested in building proof of possibilities in your cities or communities and funding the work. --- [ 3. CIRCLE ] --- Join our private community for in-house service design professionals. ⁠https://servicedesignshow.com/circle

My daughter dared me to 15 meters free-fall... I was on a climbing track with her, and this was one of the "attractions." Of course, she had taken the plunge without shedding a sweat. So, there I was standing on the edge, ready to take the jump, while everything in my body was screaming NO. I hesitated, terrified... but backing out was not an option. Especially not when a 10-year old girl is cheering dad on from the ground. Sometimes, you just have to leap into the unknown and trust that things will turn out alright. Our guest this week, Lilli Graf, also took a massive leap. She left a safe job at a respected design agency to go independent and start her own business. Why? Because she knew 'less bad' isn't good enough anymore when it comes to our climate crisis. Her journey in the last few years has thrown up many challenges. So, I wanted to know what kept her going, what she had learned so far, and what she would have done differently, looking back. Of course, we also had to talk about what pushed her over the edge to make the leap in the first place. This episode is about way more than climate solutions (though those are fascinating). It's about YOU... As service design professionals, we champion change. We push our clients to step into the unknown. But how often do we do that same? I hope this honest and open conversation will inspire you to leap more often. What fascinated me is how well Lilli's story shows the ripple effect of our choices. From childhood to career, it all connects. What will your next ripple be? --- [ 1. GUIDE ] --- 00:00 Welcome to Episode 201 03:00 Who is Lilli 04:00 how Lilli heard about SD 05:15 Lightning Round 06:15 Community needs to reflect 11:15 Why Lilli needed to Step Back 13:30 Moving to the sustainability spectrum 19:30 World that's not going to be here 22:30 Black foot tribe 25:00 The responses / the results 29:15 Crisis to nature and to ourselves 33:15 How do I preserve this life? 39:15 What Imma Collective is doing 45:00 The biggest challenge 49:00 Do it with Joy and patience 50:30 The journey most proud of so far 51:30 One piece of advise 54:30 How to embark in this journey too --- [ 2. LINKS ] --- https://www.linkedin.com/in/elisabeth-lilli-graf/ https://www.immacollective.com/ Change by Design by Tim Brown (Book) Everyday Utopia: What 2,000 Years of Wild Experiments Can Teach Us About the Good Life by Kristen R. Ghodsee (Book) --- [ 3. CIRCLE ] --- Join our private community for in-house service design professionals. ⁠ https://servicedesignshow.com/circle

Recently, I turned 43... I don't really celebrate my birthdays anymore. Don't worry; I have an amazing wife who makes sure there's always cake. But I do always try to take a moment and reflect on my past year because “The only time you should ever look back, is to see how far you've come.” Well, today, it's not just about my journey; it's about ours. We've hit a massive Service Design Show milestone: 200 episodes! That's a new interview every two weeks for over 8 years. And by now, we've clocked in over 500.000 listens to our conversations. Truly mind-boggling. Especially when you consider how niche our field is (still). It tells me what I do matters to people like you. Honestly, if I had to, I'd still do this show just for my own learning... but knowing you're out there makes it so much better. To celebrate, I'm flipping the script. For this episode, it's me answering YOUR questions. Some are about service design, some get a bit personal... Here's a sneak peek: Is Journey Management the next big thing? Will service design disappear? How does the Show make money? How do I keep sane working solo? You might be surprised by some of the answers. Guess, there's only one way to find out... This episode was a lot of fun and quite a challenge to produce. Let me know if you like this format – maybe we'll do a follow up... Take care, ~ Marc --- [ 1. GUIDE ] --- 00:00 Welcome to episode 200 01:50 Why Service Design 04:30 Lessons learned from 200+ conversations 10:15 The business model 16:15 How to stay healthy and sane 25:00 Communicating service design 31:00 Designing timeless services 36:00 Is Journey Management the next big thing 40:00 Where are things going --- [ 2. LINKS ] --- https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcfonteijn/ https://www.servicedesignshow.com/circle/ --- [ 3. CIRCLE ] --- Join our private community with smart and generous in-house service design professionals. ⁠https://servicedesignshow.com/circle