What's the next crazy goal I'm pursuing around Service Design?

Over the years I've learned that having a large numbered goal is a good way both to motivate myself and also to motivate others.

The mission of the Swiss Service Design Network has two aspects:

1. Put Service Design on the map of Switzerland

2. Put Switzerland on the map of Service Design

Putting Service Design on the map of Switzerland: it's going well

I feel that with the work we did with the monthly webinars, and some crazy formats like the Swiss Service Design Week 2025 we've getting there on the second aspect. In fact, apparently the Switzerland chapter of the Service Design Network is one of the most active around the world. That's good progress.

Who thought that the second goal was maybe the easiest?!

We have also other ideas to continue in that direction (more to be announced in 2026) about that.

But now it's important that we start to do some serious work on the first aspect:

Putting Service Design on the map of Switzerland: a new idea

I was very inspired by what the fine folks behind the Service Design Drinks Zurich do. And it got me thinking: what if we had an event format that we could easily replicate locally? So here comes the crazy numbered goal idea:

What if in 2023 we had 100 local Service Design Drinks events in Switzerland?

Basically knowing that we have 24 regions in Switzerland (for the Swiss readers, I put half-cantons together as one region). So if there are at least 4 events in each region we get there! That's an event every 3 month, which is a pretty chill rythm for a local community.

Once we get this routine going, we can then "simply" maintain it, year over year. Just like we do with the monthly webinars and the yearly conference.

A big but not so big number

100 is a big number, but we need just to find 24 crazy people who are ready to do three things:

• Set 4 dates in a calendar

• Decide what local bar they want to do the reservation in

• Share it with a few friends

I'm sure that over time, and with a little bit of help of our pre-existing Swiss community of Service Design nerds, we can then really have a presence in each region of Switzerland.

In fact, the first event in this format co-organized by the Swiss Service Design Network is already happening this September in Lucerne. On Friday 26th of September 2025, 18:00 at Suite Rooftop Lounge & Bar in Lucerne you can join host Darija Catipovic for a relaxed evening with other Service Design enthusiasts. Save your seat.

So if you're interested in helping with that, just leave a comment here, and we'll make it happen.

The beauty of this crazy dream

A format like this is pretty easy to organize for the host: a date, a bar, a few friends. Done. Everybody pays his drinks. The local bar is happy that you book a table for 4-15 people in advance.

The registration process and marketing is super easy as it's a format that is always the same.

And we know from experience that 50% of people who registered will show up. So it's easy to know what table you should book in the bar.

Another beauty of this, is that we now have the Swiss Service Design Conference. The yearly family-reunion for people enthusiastic about Service Design in Switzerand. So there's even now an on-site event where we can then bring all these people together once a year to meet with the larger community.

The system

It's fun to see how all these little pieces slowly build a cohesive thing.

1. Webinars: Every month we have a webinar that brings everyone (and even from outside of Switzerland) together. This helps to put Switzerland on the map of Service Design.

2. Drinks: People meet locally in small groups 4 times a year

3. Family-reunion: We all meet on-site in a big family-reunion once a year.

These last two elements really help to put Service Design on the map of Switzerland.

Will this be enough?

What I know is that this can give a good basis that then allows for crazy initiatives to come on top.

One thing I've observed from many communities is that they tend to have big ups and big downs. I think that to avoid this we should have a strong basis that's easy to maintain. And then on top of it, people can do big ups, crazy initatives. These will happen once or twice, then people might want to do something else.

In this way, there's a constant presence and it still allows for big ups.