John runs a small business with just 1 employee and has to do a tax return. .... The process usually starts with staff,
Rethinking Services Se rvi ce Or
ga nis ati on
Us er
A user-centred
approach
About This Booklet
This booklet questions our approach to services and advocates a user-centred approach. It has 4 sections:
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Why rethink Services?
SD
About Service Design The Service Design Toolbox References and Appendix This booklet was produced by Una McGra th while on assignment a t The Studio in Dublin Ci ty Council . Conta ct una .mcgra
[email protected] or s tudio@dublinci ty.ie
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Contents ?
Why Re-think Services?
The Service Design Toolbox
Why we Need Good Services……………………………………………………………..08
• • • • • • • • • • • • • •
The Problem with Services – Organisation-centric vs. User centric…...10 The Problem with Services – Staff Morale………………………………………...12 What Happens when Customers get Angry……………………………………....14 The Limits of Operational Efficiency…………………………………………………..16 Who Designs the Service?.....................................................................18 Bad User Experiences– Examples……………………………………………………...20 The Customer Says…………………………………………………………………………….26 Dublin City Council Services……………………………………………………………...28 The Voice of the Customer in Dublin City Council……………………………..30 Questions to Ask……………………………………………………………………………… 32
SD
Contents
Brainstorming………………………………………………………………56 Business Model Canvas………………………………………………..58 Context Interviews………………………………………………………60 Customer Journey Map………………………………………………..62 Desktop Walk-through…………………………………………………63 Expectation Maps………………………………………………………..64 Five Whys…………………………………………………………………….65 In the User’s Shoes………………………………………………………66 Observation of Users……………………………………………………67 Role Play………………………………………………………………………68 Scenario Building…………………………………………………………69 Service Blueprint………………………………………………………….70 Six Thinking Hats………………………………………………………….71 Storyboards…………………………………………………………………72
About Service Design Introducing Service Design……………………………………………………………….36 Service Design – an analogy……………………………………………………………..38 Service Design – key principles………………………………………………………...40 The Service Design process……………………………………………………………….42 1. Set up Project……………………………………………………………………………….44 2. Understand…………………………………………………………………………………..46
References and Appendix References…………………………………………………………………………….74 An Inventory of Dublin City Council Services………………………….76
3. Develop Ideas and Solutions………………………………………………………...48 4. Test……………………………………………………………………………………………...50 5. Specify/ Implement/ Review………………………………………………………...52
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Why Re-think Services?
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Why We Need Good Services
Good, customer-oriented services must be a priority for any organisation with a services remit. Why? Because services are a key means to connect with and build trust and satisfaction among customers, citizens and stakeholders - or lose it. Because the service interface is the key space in which impressions are made in the eyes of service users.
st. u r t bu i l d s e c i rust. Serv t k a e ild … Or b r u b o ars t e y s e reak b o It tak t onds c e s and
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Because the service experience will let the user know whether or not they have been well-considered. Because years of investment in delivering good costefficient services can be undone by a bad service experience.
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The Problem With Services
Organisation-centric vs. user-centric Successful service delivery results from balancing user satisfaction of expectations, staff happiness and operational efficiency. Most service organisation start out with the best of intentions. However service organisations, and especially government, have traditionally arranged its service delivery around its own organisational structure rather than around the needs of the service- user.
they t u b vices r e s sign e d s rs do n e s o i U t nisa hem. t e Orga s u d o n ’t
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This can often mean that the service user (who could be you) can find themselves experiencing a disjointed service and having to jump through complicated hoops, in order to meet an apparently straightforward request. This is typically because several pieces of the service have been developed separately by different departments or, worse, by different agencies.
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The Problem With Services Staff Morale A poor service experience is bad news not just for the user but also for the service provider and for the staff providing the service. This is especially evident at the front-line where the brunt of dissatisfaction unfolds and customer trust begins to unravel. This sets up a negative interaction between service users and staff. If the problem is at the front-line, or the job the user needs done, cannot be resolved easily due to poorly integrated service elements, or unanticipated needs, staff frustrations builds. Staff morale then begins to unravel.
ice v r e s d by e t c a Th e p . e m l i a also mor s e t r c a e f ms staf s aff e i l e h b c T i o . r v Ser tions wo p t a r s t a s fru en h h t n -user satio i n a g or
Poor staff morale begins to impact the quality of service delivery. Thus the organisation is then being impacted negatively by both user and staff frustrations. No amount of operational efficiency in individual service elements will ever fix this. Making the leap to see the service through the customer’s eyes is a difficult one. Staff have a job to do within the organisation, and their concern is usually with delivering their part of the service, within their zones of practice. But without the user view, the service ends up being inefficient because it ends up by not providing what is required or valued by users, or, by providing the wrong things. A strategy addressing end-to-end service delivery from the perspective of the customer, as well as the provider itself, is a means of reversing this state of affairs.
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What Happens When Customers Get Angry?
‘The top five emotions when measuring customer satisfaction are: anger, happiness, frustration, annoyance and disappointment. We’re dealing with powerful stuff here!
ple. o e p -10 8 l l e il l t w -20 r 0 e 1 m l o tel cust l l y i p w p er A ha m o t s cu y p p nh a ell as u t l l i n A yw p p . ble i a e r l h r p n e o t u pe ei r ery v h t s i t who le abou r e m op to A cus as 40 pe yota o T many nce. r e nag rie a e p M x s e i on t a r e g, Op n o W - Len
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The service you get or the service you don’t get creates an experience. This experience determines if you engage with a brand or not. Will you recommend this to your friends? …Do you have sympathy and respect for the people who work at this place?’ (http://www.hatchandbloom.com/)
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The Limits of Operational Efficiency
Service users
here Service Delivery Channels
Over-focus here Vs.
Business models & processes
People
ORGANISATIONAL CAPABILITY
Governance
relationships
& Measurement
Technology Functions & Structure
Budget
a can e r a one rall n e i v n o ion t satio i a s m i i t Op ptim o b u t in s l u s e r
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An efficiency process that looks primarily at things like digitisation, process re-engineering, back-office rationalisation and restructuring, at the expense of understanding user needs, risks neglecting the relationships with users that are so important in building trust and satisfaction. Operational efficiency is a goal, but it is not the whole picture. An ‘operationally efficient’ service is inefficient if it does not, in the end, service the actual needs and priorities of users at the point of delivery. If user needs are not understood and pulled together by the organisation, how can it ever provide an integrated service or services? The context of services, the services themselves and the needs of users are in a constant state of continuous change. Services need to be able to adapt to this change and remain in continuous dialogue with users to understand changing needs, to communicate service changes and to maintain positive engagement. If you review business processes only, you can make some improvement in your services. However, in the other direction, the effect is even stronger: if you carefully examine the services you deliver first, you will automatically align your processes better to the services.
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Who Designs The Service?
The biggest mistake that large organisations make is to assume that they know what their service users and customers want. Instead, involving service users and stakeholder at the design or review stage, irons out problems upfront. It ensures that both provider- and user-needs and constraints in the equation are understood by both parties. This sets up a stronger provider-client relationship.
rge a l t a ow th n e k k y a mist e the t s m e u g s ig as ers o m t o s t i Th e b s d cu make n s a n s r o use isati e n c a i g v r o r ser i e h nt. t a t a w h w
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Bad User Experiences Example 1 Joe uses The Bank’s services via an ATM machine to get money. He also uses The Bank to lodge his cheques by filling out an express lodgement form in-branch. The Bank recently ‘optimised’ their processes by digitising the express lodgement service. Joe can now lodge his cheques in a dedicated ATM-like machine. However, here is the service experience from a user-perspective:
Sequence 1
ser u e l p A sim ough r h t k wal fore e b t n upfro ion t a t n me imple pl e m i s spots pact m i t s th a r o r r e ur o i v a beh
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Card in Pin Confirm Return card Receipt
√
ATM withdrawal Joe puts in his card He enters his pin He confirms the amount The machine returns his card The machine gives his money The machine prints a receipt Joe walks away
Success!
Sequence 2 Card in Pin Confirm Receipt Return Card
x
ATM cheque lodgement Joe puts in his card He enters his pin The machine scans his cheque and Joe confirms amount The machine prints his receipt Joe walks away The machine returns his card
Failure! Joe leaves without his card!
In the new service Joe walks away without his card because he has become familiar with using a service that returns his card before completing his intended job. The new service returns his card after his intended job. So The Bank now has to process the returns of hundreds of cards left by customers in machines on a daily basis!
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Bad User Experiences
Example 2 Mary works in a local authority. She processes rent rebates for users. An internal ‘optimisation’ has directed that cheques are now only issued on Wednesdays. Mary now has to deal with significant client dissatisfaction. She and her colleagues have to handle many significant call volumes per day from irate customers who are impacted by the loss of flexibility in the service. She and her staff find it difficult to get any other work done.
d to a e l ’ can n o i t isa m i t rall. p e v o ‘ o l na tion a s i Inter m o p ti
sub -
Mary is extremely frustrated. She now actively resents users and the calls, and feels switched off. This will eventually lead to demoralisation as she cannot control the quality of her work. She feels that nobody asked for her input when considering this change. If Mary finds another job she will take it. Internal ‘optimisation’ can lead to sub-optimisation overall.
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Bad User Experiences
Example 3 John runs a small business with just 1 employee and has to do a tax return. He gets the form from Revenue. It has over 400 questions. Unlike a larger company, he cannot afford to pay an accountant so he must complete the form himself. He doesn’t understand many of the questions or if they apply to him. He spends 5 days trying to understand what Revenue needs while trying to keep his business afloat. He cannot get the information he needs on their website and has to call Revenue several times.
o ut h t i w vices r e ers s s n u g i n s act o n de p e t f m i o ers tive d a i g v e o Pr eir n h t g n eei fores
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He cannot understand why Revenue did not consider the needs of a small business owner when designing this service. Providers often design services without foreseeing their negative impact on users.
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The Customers Says...
Don’t publish promises you cannot keep
Don’t put me in a position where I have to defend my basic rights in a situation where I am vulnerable
Please listen to what we and others tell you about your service and build on this to provide improvements
Tell me what to expect, don’t give me false ideas
Don’t view me as the problem. Don’t change the rules without telling me
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Help me solve my problems by providing me with information, advice, support and access to the services I need
Treat me as an individual, not a number
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Dublin City Council Services
Dublin City Council is a service delivery organisation providing up to 550 services to a variety of users – internal customers, citizens, business and other agencies. A full inventory of services is provided in Appendix 1. The council has delivered great impacts in communities over the years. Visible evidence can be seen in our communities through local leisure centres, playgrounds, parks, libraries, improved traffic management and innovative initiatives like Dublin Bikes etc.
the t a do ; ce r i e e v r w se to m h i n g e s v u i at ec ryt v e h o t v g fe inn ls” n i o c d e an da ne “Pla cor n w n e e a n ch Ag g y n r m i is for ive m l e i e x R d or Ma t c Se c i l b - Pu
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However public services are currently confronted with a number of complex social challenges, while at the same time, they must deal with a squeeze on government resources. Workforce Planning and Croke Park have created uncertainty and staff have had to deliver with less resource. Councils have also lost key services and could lose more, or gain new ones. These factors risk to undo the trust and satisfaction built up over years with users, citizens, businesses and other stakeholders. However trust is also the one thing that remains in council control. Services and the service-interface are the means by which customer trust and satisfaction can be built. This can be done by engaging and co-involving users.
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ing, g n e l l a be ch n a c s t h sig le for n i b a r t e r s o f U “ uncom d n a g in most d n e a h t m r e e d owev H . s n see o i s t a n s o i i t n a a s org rgani o e c i v r se 04) 0 e 2 v i r t e a k v r inno py, Pa a e H ( ” . s thi beyond
he t f o the x e m ap fro e y h er a t s u w p ra ru he e t e f h h o rt rt y u u f t f i l e i s. h b i t e s Th e c , i i rv on ev i e t h s t a s nd ugh ani a o g r r r o th me y o e t rn cus jo u
The Voice of the User in Dublin City Council Who is closest to the customer in Dublin City Council? It is the staff on the frontline, on the ground – receptionists, customer service personnel, road maintenance crews, cleansing crews etc Who makes decisions that affect customers/ citizens? -Management. The further up the apex of the organisation, the further away from the customer and the visibility of the user journey. This is problematic. It is unfortunately typical of most large organisations. Consultation is not enough especially if it happens after the plan has already been drafted. If you were asked to put your service experience on a form or an email, would you be able to capture it? If you are asked about it in a forum outside the context of the service experience or after the service event would you be able to articulate it? “If I asked customers what they wanted, they would have said a faster horse” - Henry Ford. Users need to be engaged and co-involved in an on-going dialogue for continuous service improvement. “User insights can be challenging, demanding and uncomfortable for organisations. However the most innovative service organisations see beyond this. They view their service users as a resource or specialist network to draw on for development ideas” (Heapy, Parker 2004). There can be a fear about managing customers’ expectations if consulted. However if the customer is not well-considered, dissatisfaction can permeate the relationship, while the corporate mission fails.
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Questions to Ask What are the feedback loops from users to frontline staff, to backend staff and to management? Do you engage consistently with customers who don’t ring customer service lines?
Who in the Council is responsible for sourcing ‘user intelligence’? How are they connected to the management of your organisation?
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Are you benefitting from the collective wisdom of your customers?
Are you ready for feedback even if it is negative?
How do you know if users are happy with a service or quietly unhappy?
Have you mapped all the touchpoints of your service, that is, the point where the user meets the service?
Do job descriptions and performance frameworks recognise and reward improving user experiences of service?
Do you design the service and then ask users about the appropriateness of the service or do you get the users to help you design it at the outset?
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About Service Design
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Introducing Service Design
Service Design is all about making the service you deliver useful, usable and desirable for clients and efficient and effective for organisations. During a Service Design project, the citizens and stakeholders are involved along with staff and management from all levels. Having all of the involved parties contribute to the process means joined-up thinking, a richer platform for solutions and new ways of thinking. It means services are better thought out, and this avoids problems later. It automatically Ideas and solutions get tested and re-tested in a rough low-cost format so people can experience how they work. The aim is to make any mistakes as early as possible. This avoids costly roll-outs that
ensures broad support for decisions, which in turn leads to greater effectiveness.
then need re-work.
By involving frontline staff, they are stimulated to make effective changes. They are taken seriously, which increases
Service design adds value to services by standing out from the crowd
their professional pride and their pleasure in their work. By involving users, their needs are foreseen.
in excellence and ensuring great experiences for users and staff and smooth effective operations for providers.
Service design is a method of listening properly, while simultaneously being a method of working to reach solutions relatively quickly and in a manner that is highly visual and comprehensible for all.
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Service Design– An Analogy
Designing a Service is like staging a theatre play. Actors = Service staff Stage = The service space Audience = Service Users Props = The visible service elements E.g. signage Play = The service experience. Rehearsal = The testing of the Service Experience before
ork w ge he a t t s e k c bac erien d an xp t e n e ly. o c t r c f n e die the er f u p a n ng he he i t k w l r l ly wi wo r On s e a th e g vice r to e s
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the real thing But there are also backstage processes, organisation, business and preparation. Only when the front and backstage work together, will the audience experience the service as working perfectly.
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Service Design– Key Principles
User-centred Why? Because if the underlying needs of users are omitted, the service fails them. Empathy with the people you are designing for and feedback from these users is essential. Co-operative and Participatory Why? All service staff, stakeholders and users of services are the experts of their own needs. It makes no sense to design services without their involvement. Multi-disciplined experts, users and staff that touch, or are affected by the service, make up the design team. Service as journey The service is read as a journey through touchpoints over time. This is a set of interactions human-human, human-machine and machinemachine. This is relevant pre-service, during service and post-service. Make Visible Since a service, unlike a product, is largely intangible, it needs to be brought to life in a way that all parties can relate to and review. Designers help do this. Test Quickly Testing early in a rough mock-up helps identify early what won’t work and avoids costly mistakes. Holistic Always sees the wider context in which the service process takes place. It is an integrated approach to service provision. Excerpt from ‘D-School Bootcamp’ Stanford University
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The Service Design Process
These are the typical steps in a Service Design project. This is not a linear process but can repeat within stages, between stages and can begin again at the end, after all stages, in a process of continuous service improvement.
These stages are explored in the following pages and reference will be made to a number of tools that can be used in the process. The tools are identified by the symbol and are referenced and explained in the ‘Toolbox’ section.
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1. Set up Project The need, objective and appetite for the project get explored, and a programme of work gets agreed between staff, management and a service design facilitator. 2. Understand. The service is explored by a multi-stakeholder group. This could be users, citizens, related agency representatives, suppliers, service staff frontline and back-end, management. Through successive facilitated exercises, insights are gathered, and needs and issues get identified and the service journey is described. 3. Develop Ideas and Solution Working with the insights, needs and issues identified, ideas for potential solutions are generated by the group. 4. Test Ideas and potential solutions get mocked up by the group, are tested to gather feedback and re-tested until they match expectation. 5. Specify / Implement / Review Once the solution has been identified a service blueprint is developed and the path to implementation of service changes gets defined and agreed. The changes are implemented by staff and management and the service is reviewed post-implementation.
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The Service Design Process 1. Set up Project Common Concerns
Notes
If we involve the user it may create an expectation or demand or invite complaints
The process involving citizens is designed to carefully manage user inputs
If it ain’t broke don’t fix it
If a service is problem-free there is nothing to fix but often the issues are hidden or unspoken by users. You don’t know if you don’t ask.
We have lost staff and resources are tight
The intervention is typically small in scale and will not require significant resource. It is likely to improve staff morale because it is a participative process. Staff feel valued for their insights.
We are too busy to review our services
Being too busy can be part of the service problem. If there is no time to take stock, we cannot be sure the service is performing and cannot improve it.
Outsiders don’t understand what we do like we do
The staff service providers are indeed experts. But they are not the only experts. Users are experts of their own experience. An outsider can see a service with fresh eyes.
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The process usually starts with staff, management and a service design facilitator, not the customer. Staff and management need to understand the potential benefit service design can bring to their service, their organisation and their reputation. They need to recognise if there exists a service issue (even if it is not yet clearly articulated). The trigger for a project could be market changes, a need for differentiation, or a need for efficiency with less resource or to increase value to clients. They need to be open to a project that explores their service from a customer viewpoint. They need to be open and ready for the changes and feedback that may occur. The Business Model Canvas can be used here to explore the service in the context of the organisational goals and its operating environment. The Customer Journey Map can be used to check staff knowledge of user experience. Sample Tools (See ‘Toolbox’) The Business Model Canvas Stakeholder Maps The Customer Journey Map Outcomes Motivation to engage Agreement to proceed A programme of work
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The Service Design Process 2. Understand Sample Tools (See ‘Toolbox’) Customer Journey Maps Observation of users Context Interviews, In the Users Shoes Expectation Maps Outcomes A clear synthesis of the needs, issues, insights and expectations identified by multiple players A prioritisation of these needs, issues, insights and expectations in line with strategy A visualisation of the customer journey through the existing service, the highs and lows New views and understanding of the service by all parties
All the potential stakeholders that touch, or interact with, a service are identified. This can include front- and back-end staff, management, citizens, suppliers, competitors, peer agencies, government etc. From these, a service design team is identified. The project team chosen should ensure that internal and external knowledge is used to best advantage so that implementation and buy-in can be assured. The team is brought together to identify needs, issues and insights from multiple perspectives that affect, or are affected by, the service. Gaining a clear understanding of the situation from an existing or potential user of the service is a key aim here. Quantitative research and qualitative research may be used. We map not just the functional interaction with the service but also the emotional experience and the expectations. We map not only the customer journey but also inputs, suppliers, processes and outputs of service elements. A variety of tools can then be used here to facilitate these interactions and to further explore user needs. It is important that the key information gets synthesised and prioritised considering objectives and the service and organisation’s strategy. This gives focus for the next stage of developing ideas. The direction taken will only be as good as the facts it is based on.
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The Service Design Process 3. Develop Ideas and Solutions Sample Tools (See ‘Toolbox’) Brainstorming
This is the concept development stage. It is not a random development of ideas but based clearly on the information, needs,
The Five Whys Six Hats (De Bono) Scenario Building
issues, insights and expectations captured in the previous phase. To develop great services, different challenges need to be met with innovative and sensible ideas, concepts and solutions, which are true
Storyboards.
to the needs of users and organisations. Ideas should be made as visual and tangible as possible.
Outcomes A set of workable ideas and solutions ready for testing
Participants are led using various techniques from blue-sky thinking to focussed solutions to map ideas against the service journey and processes. In this stage a lot of post-its are used. There are good reasons for this. Firstly, it helps people get ideas from inside their heads onto boards so all thoughts can be shared and considered. Secondly, it is a flexible medium that helps to group and connect ideas.
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The Service Design Process 4. Test Sample Tools (See ‘Toolbox’) Desktop Walk-through Roleplay Outcomes Clarity about what is needed A basis for service specification
Testing is a critical part of the service design process because it allows one to identify potential service errors upfront at little or no cost. The most promising ideas and solutions from the previous stage are made tangible in a way that users can relate to and give feedback. This requires a cyclical process of test, improve, refine until the solution meets user expectations. This usually involves developing mock-ups quickly and cheaply. Early mock-ups may involve simple sketches, storyboards or photo sequences. This could be developed further into a rough 3D model on the desktop. This enables a birds-eye walk through the service, a scenario to be played out, or a sketch of how some of the interface could look. Later mock-ups will look more realistic. This purpose of this kind of visualisation is to make sure that all team members are talking about the same thing rather than different pictures and expectation in each person’s mind. The team gets to observe how the user relates to the mock-up in a simulated environment or in the actual service delivery location. They experience the idea with customers, stakeholders or professionals in order to improve the solutions before they are realised.
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The Service Design Process 5. Specify / Implement / Review Sample Tools (See ‘Toolbox’) Service Blueprint Business Model Canvas Outcomes Service Blueprint Service Guidelines Business Plan Roll-out plan
After refining the solution, this allows the team to develop a final service blueprint. In the same way that a product has detailed design drawings, the service blueprint specifies the service details. This means every detail that is needed to plan, specify and roll out a service is recorded. To realise a service, it needs to be clear what the concept and purpose is and how different components link into each other. A business plan or The Business Model Canvas can be used in conjunction with the blueprint to understand and to direct how the service system will work and the impact on the organisation and the market. Training and service guidelines are developed to ensure that staff can put the service plan into action. Briefings, service specifications, templates and role specifications ensure consistent touchpoints and experience. The process does not end with implementation. Services should be under continuous review in a process of continuous service improvement.
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The Service Design Toolbox
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Brainstorming
The purpose of brainstorming is to draw out as many ideas as possible, and as rich a range as possible, from a diverse group of people. Certain rules normally apply to ensure maximum benefit from the session: Focus on quantity – participants should contribute a large quantity of ideas without too much thinking. Quality will come later. Withhold criticism – participants refrain from criticising either their own or others’ ideas until later in the session. By suspending judgement people feel free to generate unusual ideas. Welcome unusual ideas – unusual ideas can come from using fresh perspectives and suspending limits. This can open up fresh possibilities. Combine and Improve ideas – people build on other people’s ideas and combine them.
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The Business Model Canvas
The Business Model Canvas is a powerful tool used by organisations and entrepreneurs to work collaboratively to describe, analyse, design or tweak new or existing business models. It can be used in any sector, public or private.
The canvas consists of nine sections which represent the key building blocks of a successful business model: Key Partners Key Activities Value Proposition Customer Relationships Customer Segments Key Resources Cost Structure Channels Revenue Streams
Teams can work in roundtable with the canvas to generate possibilities under each of the nine sections and clarify existing and potential new business or focus areas.
It can help departments or organisations see themselves as a service-focussed business and can bring clarity to strengths, weaknesses, possibilities and priorities in the organisation against its operating environment.
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Context Interviews
These are interviews with users, staff or stakeholders that take place in the environment or context in which the service process of interest occurs. Discussing work or service routines is always easier when the conversation takes place in the place where they unfold. An interviewer will spot activity that the interviewee takes for granted and probe that activity. It helps the interviewee remember the kind of specific details that can get lost in a traditional focus group setting. People are more comfortable providing insights into their thoughts and behaviours in when in a familiar environment. These can be validated or expanded upon by the observations of the interviewer in context. The interviewer can also notice more about the physical and social environment of the service process in context. The interview will be documented by text, video or audio and this gives powerful material to present back to the service provider project team.
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Customer Journey Map
The Customer Journey Map visualises the service-user’s experience. This shows the touchpoints where the user interacts with the service and the accompanying emotions. Touchpoints can be face to face between people, virtual through website or mobile phone, or physical such as a trip to a building, reading signage etc. The customer journey should be drawn from the customer rather than from staff. The internal business model process of the service will not capture all of the service touchpoints, because the customer may be interacting with relating agencies or services before the decision to even use the service in question. Interviews work well here or the customers can document their service journey themselves. The map can be based around particular personas showing different journeys on each map. The map gives a high-level insight into the factors influencing the user’s experience constructed from their own perspective. This enables the identification of problem areas, success areas or opportunities for innovation. Different service expectations or perceptions from different customer groups can also be identified.
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Desktop Walk-throughs
Expectation Maps
This is a small three-dimensional model of a service environment using props such as stick figures and simulated
An expectation map involves investigating and mapping what customers expect when they interact with a service at
physical elements in the service environment. Common situations can then be acted out by moving the figures around the model or to insert different personas.
each stage of the service or at particular stages requiring insight.
The same scene can be acted out several times, changing physical elements or character elements. They are used to
The material for this can come from media reviews, interviews with users, complaint logs etc.
gain a shared understanding of the service situation among the group and create a service situation in which all team
The map can then be compared to existing service routines to highlight gaps. This will identify areas in need of
members can input in an engaging manner.
particular attention from the point of view of the user. Expectations across the different stages or mediums can also be compared.
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Five Whys
In the User’s Shoes
The 5 Whys are a chain of questions used to dig below the outward symptoms of a user experience, or the outward
Here people (usually staff) are asked to go out and experience a service in order to understand the common
explanation for a situation, in order to find the root cause.
issues and needs of service users.
It is used to tease out a specific problem by producing a
This could involve experiencing the specific service under
convincing explanation of the cause pathway from the current situation to the root cause.
review, other services in the same sector, a similar service environment in another sector, or a variety of services.
This can help uncover service stages that the user doesn’t usually see or user actions that the service provider doesn’t
They will be asked to explore examples of what they think are good or bad services and to record their experiences.
usually see.
This helps people to understand the factors that are common to any positive service experience.
We have abandoned 3,000 customer calls. Why? We didn’t have the right number of staff. Why?
These insights are then used to develop opportunities for service improvement or innovation.
There were more calls than expected. Why? Lots of bills went in the post on the same day. Why? We didn’t print any for a week. Why? Because we recently optimised the system to print bills only once a week
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Observation of Users
Role Play
This involves team researchers immersing themselves in the lives of users, front-line staff, or back-room staff to
This technique, drawn from the field of drama, involves an interactive training experience that helps staff contribute to
understand their behaviour and experiences. People naturally exhibit behaviours unconsciously so this method shows up things that would not be apparent or articulated
the improvement of the service experience while playing the role or observing the acted role of different service actors. Staff enact various service situations, and play the
in an interview.
role of customer, staff or management. It helps to videorecord the role-play and then to review and analyse the material in a follow-up workshop.
Text, video and photographs can be used here to capture activity.
This technique helps staff to develop the tools and skills to It allows observers to spot problems that the person being observed may not even be aware of even recognise as a problem. It can identify when a person says one thing but
respond to customers’ needs or particular service situations. It helps to identify which props, guidelines or artefacts would be useful in the specific service situation. It can bring
does another.
kinaesthetic learning or empathy into the service situation. The acting can also be performed by corporate actors instead of staff members who will be prompted by or observed by staff. A similar process can be applied to users, acting out the roles of staff, in order to provide insight into the service using a different viewing point.
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Scenario Building
Designing scenarios helps bring potential service situations to life. They are hypothetical stories which can involve particular personas or user types in a specific service context. Scenarios can be presented using plain text, storyboards or video. Scenarios enable a shared understanding and knowledge sharing within a group. They can be applied to any area of the service that has a particular problem to explore that service stage from various viewpoints or in a variety of situations.
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Service Blueprint
In the same way a product will have specification drawings detailing how a product is to be manufactured, a service blueprint gives detailed information about all aspects of how a service should be performed. This will be a visual schematic incorporating the perspectives of user, service provider and other key players, showing front-end and back-end relationships. The blueprint is not a static document but a living one and should be continually revised in a process of continuous service improvement. The document can be developed collaboratively, with all service players having input, in order to capture the full picture of the service. It should be drafted roughly at the beginning of the project, and developed and refined throughout the project. As new ideas become appropriate solutions and service experiences get articulated the blueprint gets updated. The final blueprint is a roadmap for the actual service delivery.
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Six Thinking Hats
Storyboards
This technique developed by Edward De Bono is used to tap into the collective wisdom of a team in order to develop a shared vision. The process avoids the conflicts that can occur through different personality and thinking types in a team. The technique guides the team through six thinking modes. During each mode the team members ‘wear only that hat’, that is they exclusively in that mode. The 6 modes are: Information (White) - considering purely what information is available, what are the facts? Emotions (Red) - intuitive or instinctive statements of emotional feeling (but not any justification) Judgement (Black) – devil’s advocate
Borrowed from the film industry, storyboards are a series of drawings
Optimism (Yellow) - identifying benefits, seeking harmony Creativity (Green) – focus on possibilities, alternatives, ideas
or pictures that visualise a sequence of events that occur within a service journey.
Managing the process (Blue) – used to reflect on the process. A common visualisation is the comic-strip. The storyboard will bring in key details so that anyone viewing it can have a clear understanding of what is going on in the service without having to be in the service environment. It can present a real-life situation or an imaginary situation to explore possible ideas and variations. This can be used to provoke discussion among users or providers about what works or doesn’t work.
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References & Appendix
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References
References
Recommended Reading For Those Interested in the Service Design Method
Recommended Reading For Decision-makers in Local Government
Mortiz, S. 2005. Service Design. Pra ctical Access to an Evolving Field [Online]. Available from: http://stefan-moritz.com/welcome/Service_Design_files/Practical% 20Access%20to%20Service%20Design.pdf
A key accessible text is Heapy & Parker.
Stickdorn M., Schneider J. 2011. This is Service Design Thinking. New Jersey USA: Wiley
Department of Public Expenditure and Reform 2011. Public Service Reform Plan [Online]. Available from: http://per.gov.ie/wp-content/uploads/Public-ServiceReform-181120111.pdf
Websites
Gaskarth, G. 2010. Small Is Beautiful. Innovation fro m the Frontlin e in Lo cal Govern ment [Online]. Available from: http://www.nesta.org.uk/library/documents/ Small_is_Beautiful.pdf
Tassi, R 2009. Service Design Tools. Communication Methods Supporting Design Processes [Online]. Available from: http://www.servicedesigntools.org [Accessed 7 th May 2012].
Helsinki design Lab 2011. In Studio: Recip es for Systemic Change [Online]. Available from: http://helsinkidesignlab.org/instudio/
http://www.mind-lab.dk/en/methods http://www.servicedesigntoolkit.org/ http://www.stby.eu/
Heapy, J., Parker S. 2006. The Journey to the Interfa ce . How Public Service design can connect users to reform [Online]. Available from: http://www.demos.co.uk/files/ journeytotheinterface.pdf?1240939425 Metropolis 2011. IDEO takes on the Govern men t [Online]. Available from: http:// www.ideo.com/images/uploads/news/pdfs/Metropolis_IDEO_govt_June2011_1.pdf UK Cabinet Office 2004. Service Design Principles. A pocket Guide [Online]. Available from: http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/+/http:// www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/media/cabinetoffice/corp/assets/publications/ delivery_council/pdf/service_design070524.pdf
Websites http://publicpolicylab.org/
http://www.mind-lab.dk/en
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Appendix of Dublin City Council Services Accounts, financial management, financial planning, fund management, management and control, spending plans, Animals, dog bins, dog fouling, horses, registration, warden services, inspection, pest control, stray Archaeology, advice, consultancy, excavation, survey Architecture, advice, consultation, design, project management Archives, access, enquiries, general information, loans, donations bequests and sales Arts, development, information, facilities, grants, Biodiversity, information, policy Business, advice, rates, annual notification Business Process improvement, Car parks, council, private, staff Children and young people, drop in activities, organised activities, playgrounds and play facilities, Civil emergencies, business continuity, advice, emergency plan, flooding, major accident, hazards Coastline protection Community centres, facilities management programming supporting health and safety Community development, regeneration projects, resource procurement, Community planning assemblies, groups and committees , consultation, engagement, support policies, ABCS Community safety, community policing forums, lane closures, intoxicating liquor fines, public lighting Complaints, procedures, appeals Conference, hall and meeting room, Hire. Public and private use, Council Events, civic and public events, Council Planning, policy and making of regulations, corporate and other plan and policies Council Customer information services, Phone, web, advertising and communication, Council consultation and community engagement, Facilities Management , air handling units, catering services, council offices, energy and fuel, equipment, internal mail , internal room, maintenance, printing and copying, reception, staff/visitor car parking, vehicle maintenance, Council Festive decoration, Council communication, Media, web, press management, publications, internal communication, Council Permissions, to host events, film and photograph, Council procurement, - contracts lists, contract management, expenditure, policy, Council Risk management, Insurance claims, policies, business continuity, Councillors , General information, minutes, agenda reports, meeting management, Death, coroner’s court, exhumations, mortuaries, Disabled people , accessibility, home adaptations, parking bays - parking permits, specialist equipment, Education , -early years facilities, higher education grants, free school meals, Elections, electoral nominations, electoral register, postal votes, results publication, voting, Environmental information, Exhibitions, permanent and temporary Facilities,
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Appendix of Dublin City Council Services Fire and rescue, - attending automatic alarms, - attending fires, attending road traffic accidents, community safety, emergency medical services, fire certificates, fire safety education, hazardous chemical (HAZCHEM) incidents, hydrants maintenance, post-incident support, regulations enforcement, special services, workplace regulation, Freedom of Information, Grants, Arts, community, community facilities, cultural, home renovation, sports, talented and gifted individuals, voluntary organisations, Health and safety, Housing allocation, decision, system, change of tenancy, information, registering, alterations by tenants, rehousing , mutual exchange, Housing - tenants, Advice and support, clearance, , community safety, caretaking, communal heating, tenancy arrears, deeds, evictions, home insurance, maintenance and repairs, modernisation schemes, rents, sale of council housing, unauthorised occupants, nuisance and threatening behaviour, tenancy issues, Housing - homeless services, Housing - improvements, adaptations of council property, disability facility grant for a private property, renovation grants, Housing - legal advice and support, Housing - private, Registration for Private Rented tenancies, Rent Assessment Scheme, shared ownership – low cost home ownerships, Housing sheltered, council tenants, homeless people, housing association tenants, noncouncil tenants, older people, Housing - special needs - , Capital grants, Housing associations, Housing - Repairs - , communal areas, council property, emergency out of hours repairs, surveying and major repairs, Housing- social housing policy, Information Communication Technology, business continuity, data management, hardware, helpdesk, networks, peripheral, software, webs site, policy, telephony, Information management, Jobs, employment, training initiatives, equal opportunities, local authority vacancies, vetting of contract and supplier staff, Land and property, -area search service, availability lists, building control. commercial lettings, compulsory acquisition, out of hours emergencies, dangerous structures, demolitions, property enquiries, property searches, derelict properties, estate management, grass cutting, improvement, securing, historic sites, statutory development plans, valuations, Languages, translating and interpreting services Irish Language services, sign language, Law, legal advice, CCTV procedures for the release of evidence, litigation support, coroners sudden death investigations
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Appendix of Dublin City Council Services Leisure and sport, Indoor and outdoor activities, Libraries -, catalogues, children's services, computers and the internet, fines , information services loans and renewals, local collection, mobile library service, online information resource, prison library service, reserving books and other items, sale of publications, school libraries, special collections, special needs, Licences, Bridges, buildings, beams and cables over or along highway, markets and casual trading, Fats Oils and Greases, obstruction, scaffolding, hoarding, skip operators, street café, street trading, road opening, Local economy, development, reports and forecasts, Lord Mayor, Administration, support, expenses, Markets, cleaning, information, stall rental, Members, allowances, committee membership, declaration of interests, minutes, agendas and reports, secretariat, Members of the Oireachtas TDs, Senators MEPS , General information and communication, Memorials and statues, maintenance and policy, Motor tax, -Drivers, provisional, commercial and lost licences - Vehicle taxation services, Museums and galleries, enquiries, information, loans donation, bequest, shops, Older people, Activities, Parks and open spaces, events, general information, landscaping, maintenance, outdoor, Planning, development control; advertisement control; allotments; building and landscape design services; building control; conservation advice; conservation areas; consultation , decision notices, statutory register, development control enforcement, land use proposals; landscape character assessment; listed buildings; - statutory register; Local Development Frameworks; local plans; environmental policies; rights of way enforcement and maintenance; street names and numbering; transport policy; tree management and preservation, zoning, planning applications, Pollution control, air quality, construction, contaminated land, inspection and regulation, noise, nuisance, water, water quality, Public toilets, Recycling, bags and containers; composters; information; residential collections ; recycling sites, Refuse, spillage; collection permits, flytipping, hazardous waste movement permits, disposal sites, special collections for large items, Litter - enforcement, fines, removal, litter bins, Refuse, skippermits and services, Roads, Safety - cameras, cycle training, cycling and walking to school, - dangerous road junctions, pedestrian crossings, school crossings speed bumps, spillages, traffic schemes , speed limits, weigh limits, Street cleaning programme, Street Furniture Policy, acquisition, Provision, maintenance and licensing, Street lighting, Street parking, clamping and removal, enforcement, residents and disk parking, pavement,
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Appendix of Dublin City Council Services permits, zones, Traffic lights systems and management, Roads, Kerbs, footpath dishing, verges, maintenance, Safety, health and safety - accident reporting; occupational health services; advice and training ; petrol delivery and storage; Safety - syringes – disposal, Sports, Development, facilities, information and booking, pitches and courts, Staff, annual leave , appraisal, apprenticeships , disciplinary procedures grievance, job analysis, payroll procedures, redeployment, reorganisations, sickness management , continuing professional development, Statistics, census information, economic information and analysis, usage, telemetry, Sustainable development, Town twinning, Transport, abnormal loads, bus stops and shelters positioning, journey planning, Travelling people, provision of sites and housing, Vandalism, fly posting and graffiti - reporting and removal, Vehicles - abandoned, Reporting and removal, Wastewater, general information, new connection, effluent licences, fats oil and grease, flood planning, drainage studies, gully cleaning, maintenance, Water, new water connections, quality and testing, provision, leakage repair, reservoir and storage management
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Produced by Una Mc Grath for The Studio at Dublin City Council. Contact
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