Send the big bills before the Christmas period.

Daniele Catalanotto
Mar 22, 2022
A Service Design Principle to help people avoid debts

It’s early December here in the region of Vaud, Switzerland. We receive a letter from the tax office. The tax office tells us how much taxes they think our family will have to pay next year. My wife then says reacts by saying something like this:

It’s smart that they send how much taxes you might have to pay before you do all the crazy expenses for Christmas. It reminds you how much money you really can use.

For her, this message is the perfect reminder to spend smartly.

This idea works well for taxes. Energy companies, water companies and so on are all services that users can forget about. It can be helpful to send similar reminders for such services.

So, send me a reminder about the big administrative expenses before I do other big expenses.

Reflection on the title

I feel the mention of Christmas should be changed in the title. Many cultures obviously don't have christmas parties with gift giving, so the title might not make sense for people from these cultures. So how should I formulate this principle? "Send the big bills before the gift giving period?" That sounds very dry and administrative... I'm not sure yet.

Little side notes

  • This is the second draft of this Service Design Principle.
  • I was able to reduce the lengths by 31.15% compared to the first version.
  • Once adapted, even more, this principle will 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.

Like 1
Patrick Marcelissen
May 9, 2022
This sentence isn’t fluent, My wife then says reacts by saying something like this:
Daniele Catalanotto
Jun 4, 2022
Thanks for spotting that one ;) 
Patrick Marcelissen
May 9, 2022
I would suggest holiday season. 
Daniele Catalanotto
Jun 4, 2022
Indeed, christmas isn't a world wide holiday ;) Smart suggestion 
Deirdre Malone
Oct 13, 2022
I think Christmas is relatable by anyone. If the principle were connected to fasting before Ramadan or buying Turkey for Thanksgiving you wouldn't call it holiday season. You'd call it Ramadan or Thanksgiving knowing those traditions exist for some and not for others. Americans call the period from Thanksgiving to New Year holiday season to also include Hannukah and New Year but neither involve the extravagant gift giving of Christmas. Appreciating Patrick's suggestion, it still feels that Christmas is the most accurate description of why people blow so much money at that time of year.
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Daniele Catalanotto
Oct 31, 2022
Interesting point of view JJ. I like how you see these stories as a time capsule of a specific culture and time ;) 

I've kept the mention of Christmas in the story as it's how the story really happened ;) Additionally, to go further, I've made two changes that help people use the idea behind the story in their own services:
  1. I've updated the title to not be linked only to a specific holiday season. In fact, such a reminder could well be sent on another key administrative date.
  2. I've added a conclusion question that makes people think about how to adapt the idea to their own specific service and culture.
Daniele Catalanotto
Oct 31, 2022

The third draft of this Service Design Principle

Send the big bills before I’ve spent all my money

It’s early December here in the region of Vaud, Switzerland. A letter from the tax office tells us how much taxes our family will have to pay next year. My wife reacts like this:

“It’s smart that they send how much taxes you’ll have to pay before you buy expensive Christmas presents. It pushes you to spend smartly by reminding you how much money you really have (1).”

This idea works well for other services that users can forget, like energy companies or water companies. It can be helpful to send similar reminders for such services.

So let me ask.

When is a good time in your culture to remind people about the upcoming big expenses they might forget?

Footnotes

(1) Yes, my wife is the real service designer in our home.

Daniele’s notes

  • This is the third draft of this principle.
  • I’ve reduced the length of this principle by 13 % compared to the previous draft.
  • I’ve added a conclusion question to help the reader turn this principle into action.
  • I changed the title inspired by a suggestion from Patrick Marcelissen.