This title is a rip off of a panel I was on a month ago hosted by AIGA-SF; and seriously I could not think of a better title. All indicators are indeed pointing to its rise. It seems every design firm is retooling to offer it, entire consultancies are built around it, and everyone is talking about it. And this is a very good thing. “It” has been around for a long time, but most of us never knew what to call it. Its rise is giving it a name, language, tools and methods. It is even giving us jobs…and dare I say a culture?!
Friday I got to swirl in this world with some of the best and brightest in the field at the Service Design Network conference in Cambridge. It was amazing day that started out with Oliver King (Engine Service Design) who led us through some of the fundamentals. It was one of the talks where you have several mind bending “aha! Yeah that’s what I’ve been thinking!!” and concluded with Mark Jones from IDEO who gave us a compelling understanding of what attracts us to this “hairy” line of work.
Here are a few sources of service design knowledge:
• Service Design Network
• Hugh Dubberly
• Service Design Tools
• Shelly Evenson
Where do you think service design is taking us? What are your sources, tools or techniques?
Chris McCarthy 