Service Design: From Tools to Problem Solving Course

Lesson 1 • Roles and Stakeholders in Service Design

Maps the professional landscape of service design roles and the stakeholders designers engage. Prepares students to navigate real project teams and organisational structures.

Lesson 2 • Value Creation in Services

Explains how value is co-created between providers and users in service contexts. Connects value creation theory to practical design decisions.

Lesson 3 • The Service Ecosystem Mindset

Introduces systemic thinking as the foundation for analysing services. Students learn to see services as interconnected networks of actors, channels, and touchpoints.

Lesson 4 • What Service Design Actually Is

Defines service design through its core principles and distinguishes it from product design and UX. Establishes shared vocabulary used throughout the course.

Lesson 1 • Personas and User Archetypes

Teaches construction of evidence-based personas that represent distinct user segments. Personas become reference tools for aligning teams around user needs.

Lesson 2 • Synthesising Research into Insights

Guides students from raw data to meaningful, actionable insights using structured synthesis methods. Bridges research and design by framing problems clearly.

Lesson 3 • Ethnographic and Contextual Inquiry

Teaches observation and contextual interview techniques for capturing in-situ user behaviour. Connects field research to uncovering latent needs invisible in surveys.

Lesson 4 • Research Planning for Service Contexts

Covers how to scope and plan user research aligned with service design goals. Introduces research questions, participant selection, and ethical considerations.

Lesson 1 • Customer Journey Mapping Fundamentals

Teaches the structure and purpose of customer journey maps as diagnostic and communication tools. Covers stages, touchpoints, emotions, and pain points.

Lesson 2 • System Maps and Ecosystem Diagrams

Teaches high-level visualisation of service ecosystems, including flows of value, data, and resources. Connects systemic thinking to concrete mapping outputs.

Lesson 3 • Service Blueprinting in Depth

Introduces service blueprints as operational maps linking user actions to back-stage processes. Students learn to expose systemic failure points invisible in journey maps.

Lesson 4 • Stakeholder and Actor Mapping

Covers tools for mapping all actors involved in a service and their relationships. Reveals power dynamics and collaboration opportunities within the service ecosystem.

Lesson 1 • Reframing Design Challenges

Introduces reframing as a creative and analytical skill for unlocking better solutions. Students practise shifting problem perspectives to reveal new solution spaces.

Lesson 2 • Prioritising Problems Strategically

Teaches frameworks for ranking problems by impact, feasibility, and strategic fit. Ensures design effort is directed at problems with the highest leverage.

Lesson 3 • Defining Success Criteria

Covers how to establish measurable success criteria before ideation begins. Connects problem definition to evaluation standards used later in testing.

Lesson 4 • Maintaining a Problem-First Mindset

Addresses the common trap of jumping to solutions before fully understanding the problem. Builds habits that keep teams anchored to user and system needs.

Lesson 1 • Evaluating and Selecting Concepts

Teaches structured methods for converging on the strongest concepts after divergent ideation. Balances user desirability, technical feasibility, and business viability.

Lesson 2 • Facilitating Ideation Workshops

Covers how to design and run ideation sessions with cross-functional teams and stakeholders. Builds facilitation skills that produce high-quality, inclusive idea generation.

Lesson 3 • Principles of Effective Ideation

Establishes the mindset and conditions that enable productive ideation in service design. Covers divergent and convergent thinking modes and when to apply each.

Lesson 4 • Core Ideation Techniques

Introduces a set of proven ideation methods applicable to service design challenges. Students practise each technique and learn when each is most effective.

Lesson 1 • Experience Prototyping and Simulation

Introduces immersive prototyping methods that simulate real service experiences for participants. Connects experience prototyping to richer, more realistic user feedback.

Lesson 2 • Iterating Based on Prototype Feedback

Teaches how to collect, analyse, and act on feedback gathered during prototype testing. Closes the loop between prototyping and refined concept development.

Lesson 3 • Prototyping Digital Service Touchpoints

Covers prototyping approaches for digital channels within a broader service system. Ensures digital prototypes are evaluated in the context of the full service journey.

Lesson 4 • Service Prototyping Principles

Establishes why and how prototyping differs in services compared to physical products. Covers fidelity levels, prototype purposes, and the build-to-learn mindset.

Lesson 1 • Managing Iteration Cycles

Covers how to structure and pace iteration cycles to maximise learning within project constraints. Builds discipline around when to stop iterating and move to implementation.

Lesson 2 • Analysing Test Results

Teaches structured analysis of qualitative and quantitative test data to extract design implications. Connects analysis outputs to prioritised iteration decisions.

Lesson 3 • Usability and Experience Testing

Teaches moderated and unmoderated testing methods for evaluating service touchpoints and flows. Builds skills in observation, note-taking, and real-time facilitation.

Lesson 4 • Pilot Testing in Real Environments

Introduces controlled pilot tests that expose service concepts to real operational conditions. Reveals systemic issues invisible in lab-based testing.

Lesson 1 • Bridging Design and Implementation

Covers the critical handoff from design to delivery teams and how to maintain design intent during implementation. Addresses common gaps between designed and delivered services.

Lesson 2 • Measuring Service Performance

Teaches how to define and track key performance indicators for live services. Connects measurement frameworks to the success criteria established during problem definition.

Lesson 3 • Scaling Services Across Contexts

Covers strategies for scaling service designs across geographies, channels, and user segments. Addresses the tension between standardisation and local adaptation.

Lesson 4 • Change Management for Service Design

Introduces change management principles essential for embedding new service designs in organisations. Connects people, process, and technology dimensions of service change.