Wait for me to handle my shit

Daniele Catalanotto
Oct 4, 2022


A Service Design Principle to lower stress.

We jump on the train with my wife and our baby. So naturally, we carry a shitload of stuff, and of course, that’s when our baby starts to cry.

So now we have to comfort the baby. We need to take him out of his winter clothes, give him a bit of water, and find a toy. But we also need to take care of our shit. Take out the winter jacket. Put the bags in the right spot so other passengers can go through them. You get the idea. There is a bit of logistical nightmare dance going on.

But I see an additional problem. The train inspector is about to enter our wagon. Shit! A crying baby, plus our logistical dance, must we find our tickets? Shit was, are they! That’s too much for my monotasking brain. But something happens.

The train inspector sees us doing our dance and stops outside the wagon. She waits. She waits until we are all settled and then comes in the wagon and only then asks us for our tickets. This brilliant inspector waits for us to handle our shit first. Now we can interact with her calmly and without stress.

Let me ask you this.

What part of your service is sometimes stressful for people? How can you give people time to sort out their mental and physical mess in this time?

Footnotes

The first draft of this Service Design Principle was adapted into more understandable English by the lovely Joanna Bienz. Thanks, Joanna!

Daniele's personal notes

  • This is the second draft of this Service Design Principle.
  • This length of this principle has been reduced by 29% compared to the first draft.
  • Once adapted even more, this principle could be part of the book "Service Design Principles 201-300"
  • As always, feel free to share comments, feedback or personal stories to improve this principle.
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Daniele Catalanotto
Oct 31, 2022

The third draft of this Service Design Principle

We jump on the train with my wife, our baby and a shitload of stuff. But, of course, that’s when our baby starts to cry.

The baby cries. We have to sort our bags, comfort him, and free space for other passengers. You get the idea. It’s a bit of a logistical nightmare for my mono-tasking brain.

But I see one more problem. The train inspector is about to enter our wagon. Shit! Now must we remember where our tickets are in all this mess? I’m overwhelmed.

But something happens that makes me cool down. The train inspector sees our stress and stops outside the wagon. She waits.

She waits until we are all settled. Only then does she enter the wagon and ask us for our tickets.

Let me ask you.

What part of your service can be stressful for people? How can you give them time to sort out their mental and physical mess in this time?

Footnotes

The first draft of this Service Design Principle was adapted into more understandable English by the lovely Joanna Bienz. Thanks, Joanna!

Daniele’s notes

  • This is the third draft of this principle.
  • I’ve reduced the length of this principle by 31 % compared to the previous draft.