How can we instil meaning in boring services?

That’s what we chatted about with Joël Hügli in an interview for my next book on how to create services that serve both humans and nature.

Joël is a Mattress-Designer, Researcher, Green Concept Award Nominee, and Design Prize Switzerland winner. Yeah, next time you’ll hear the words, award-winning designer, you’ll think of Joël.

He is the founder of Ecomade, which aims to improve sleeping comfort with Swiss quality and sustainability.

With Joël, we uncovered 5 early Service Design Principles to create more meaning in boring services and products, like a Mattress.

1. Write a secret shitty personal manifesto about your own values.

2. Do the “edge of the mattress check” to verify if you really live your values.

3. Be stupidly naive about your field by asking why this is done like this.

4. Ask yourself what happens at the end of a service.

5. Don’t get stuck in one emotionally loaded topic; instead, do the math to reveal the biggest impact and leverage you could have on the planet.

Thanks so much to Joël for this lovely and unboring conversation.

Why should I share more of my work in public as a design practitioner?

That’s a question we explored Within the course "Leading Conversations" with the Service Design students of the HSLU.

In this talk, we explored:

• 4 myths service design professionals believe in that diminish their impact

• How can you make the value of your work and yourself more visible when working in-house as a service design practitioner.

• Mindset shifts can help you share your work and get seen by your next employer or client.

• Why sharing work isn’t just about « selling your value » but improving your Service Design craft.

In the Q&A session after the talk, we explored questions like:

• What channels should I use to promote myself and my work as a service design professional?

• As an in-house service design professional does it make sense to share my work in public?

• What’s a simple thing I can do today to start my journey of sharing my work publicly?

Thanks to all the Master Service Design students for the insightful questions and to Andy Polaine for hosting this conversation.