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Reflection on the class - I thought this was a good subject to cover as it hadn't previously been covered, the only time I had ever heard about service design before was from talking to a final year student who did service design over her placement year. So I'm happy that we got a lecture about it as I didn't understand it before.
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I came across this GOV.UK blog that discusses service design. They define it as ‘service design is the design of services’ meaning they are helping you do something and working with the users to deliver a service. They talk about the different design methods like the double diamond not really being about the way things are designed but more about creating different outcomes for the users.
Service design is the activity of working with all the different areas that need to work together, they talk with the user to understand their needs and then start designing something that helps them.
In this blog, they are talking about GOV services and how complex the system is as it's so big and separated because of this they run into problems like confusion and mistakes which increase the workload which increases cost. This is why it's so important that service design is done well, creating a more positive experience and reducing the cost.
Service design in the GOV is a pretty new area of their design team only starting to appear around 2014, their jobs are 90% to discover and research to understand what the problem is and how the system works. 10% is using the research and creating a solution.
https://gds.blog.gov.uk/2016/04/18/what-we-mean-by-service-design/
In class, we created a service blueprint so I decided to look at how we can use them.
Prototype - We create a service blueprint you are thinking of every step in the journey and build a paper prototype which then allows you to do some user testing with the low-fidelity to save time and money in the long run. The blueprints in prototyping can work in two different ways either you can capture ideas from the prototype or provide a script that you can work from.
Supporting the Vision - As they are a layout of the idea and function they help bring the idea to life and clearly communicate the idea. It shows the intent, the emotions behind it, the core values, key motivations, and the purpose of creating it. You can show it by creating storyboards, illustrations, videos, and walkthroughs.
Roadmap - A blueprint helps identify wants needed and what's necessary to change and needs to be done to make that happen. Creating a roadmap can help you understand the projects, timings, and the steps that need to be taken. A roadmap does the great thing of showing how a service will transform over time.
Service Patterns - You can use a blueprint to find the service pattern to then find a similar experience to prevent time wasting and needing a new experience every time. This allows for quicker designs and a more efficient design.
https://learning.ulster.ac.uk/ultra/courses/_368423_1/outline/file/_8806917_1
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Reflection on my research - Service designs are what can make designing easier, more effective, and less hassle. As they streamline the process and then create a better result. It's a really useful tool to use and the next time I have a larger project I would like to use it. I will do one for my app so I understand it fully.
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