Service Design Thinks 1

Beyond ‘what is it?’ towards ‘how do you do it well?’ Service Design Thinks is a forum for conversation and discussion around service design practice.

Building on the success of the growing Service Design Drinks network, Service Design Thinks is run by service designers, for service designers. 

Each event presents inspiring perspectives and reflections on service design practice, to spark conversation and debate and ultimately, move service design thinking and practice forward. 

The focus is on practical, inspiring stories and observations from people who design services every day. Each speaker will talk for 10 minutes, with time for questions and debate, followed by  plenty of time for what Service Design Drinks is best known for - drinking, and talking about service design!

For this first session we’ve kept it simple and pulled together four speakers to discuss the four broad elements of a service design process - research, design, evaluation and management:

Research: Jo Harrington 

They’re called hard to reach for a reason: Notes and perspectives on researching ‘other’ user groups.

Jo is a designer and social researcher with a background in working with young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. He currently works for Engine Service Design and is a board member of a homeless charity in London. 

Design: Joel Bailey http://plateandserve.blogspot.com

The explosive website: How digital damages service experience 

Joel has nine years experience using digital technologies to transform services. As Service Design Leader and Head of Transformational Government at businesslink.gov.uk he was responsible for integrating services across 19 government departments, at the same time as making them more user centred. A glutton for punishment, Joel’s now trying to do the same for healthcare, working with NHS.uk in his role as Director of Service Design at the Team. 

Evaluation: Alice Casey http://cased.wordpress.com

How was it for you?: Techniques for evaluting the effectiveness of user engagement in public service design 

Alice is currently a project manager for the Big Green Challenge at the NESTA Lab. Prior to this she worked at the charity Involve looking at how people are engaged in the decisions that affect their lives, and how better public involvement can improve society, policy making and public services. She is also an RSA Design Directions judge.

Management: Karl Humphreys, Momat

Managing as designing: Client side thoughts on the challenge of managing multi disciplinary service design projects. 

Karl is a freelance service design and innovation consultant, specializing in creating end to end service experiences.  Prior to starting his own practice, MoMat, he worked at BAA as a Service Innovation Manager, and before that at Orange and Nortel Networks designing mobile services and products.

Service Design Thinks is organised by Nick Marsh, Jaimes Nel and Lauren Tan and the talks and questions will be recorded and published at: http://www.servicedesigning.com/

Many thanks to the Team for their support in providing generous refreshments sponsorship, and to Sense Worldwide for providing the remarkable Sense Loft as a venue:

http://www.theteam.co.uk/

http://www.senseworldwide.com/