What are the advantages and disadvantages of using a service design approach?

My two cents

The main advantages of using a Service Design approach I see are:
  1. Service Design makes people hate you less: the idea of service design is to make services better for the humans who use and build them. So making life easier for many people sounds like a pretty cool thing, no?
  2. Service Design gives you a toolbox: knowing the world of Service Design, gives you access to a lot of tools, methods, references, authors and knowledge that help you achieve the goal of better-serving others.
  3. Service Design gives you a common language: if you use Service Design within a team or organisation it gives you a shared language and toolbox to speak about how to improve your service.

The main disadvantages of using a Service Design approach I see are:
  1. Service Design kills your ego: as Service Design often is based on the feedback and ideas of others, it can be pretty hard to see that your ideas suck and that others have better ones.
  2. Service Design makes you see all the shitty services: Once you better know how to create lovely experiences for other humans, you wonder why so many organizations still create very shitty experiences for you to go through.

The AI answer

I gave the generative AI ChatGPT prompt: “Make a list of pro and cons arguments on using a service design approach for a project or within an organization”. Here is the unedited answer it gave me. Take it with a grain of salt.

Pros of using a service design approach for a project or within an organization:

  1. Improves customer satisfaction: A service design approach focuses on understanding the needs, expectations, and behaviors of the target audience, and designing a service that meets those needs in an effective and efficient manner. This can lead to higher levels of customer satisfaction and loyalty.
  2. Increases efficiency and effectiveness: Service design involves designing and organizing the elements of a service to deliver value in an efficient and effective manner. This can help to reduce waste and inefficiencies, and to improve the overall performance of the service.
  3. Promotes innovation: Service design encourages a creative and iterative approach to problem-solving, and can help organizations to develop new and innovative solutions to meet the evolving needs of customers or users.
  4. Enhances user experience: A service design approach focuses on designing services that are easy to use and that provide a positive user experience. This can lead to increased adoption and usage of the service.

Cons of using a service design approach for a project or within an organization:

  1. Requires resources and expertise: Implementing a service design approach can be time-consuming and resource-intensive, and may require specialized skills and expertise.
  2. Can be complex: Service design involves a complex process of understanding the needs and behaviors of the target audience, and designing and organizing the elements of the service to meet those needs. This can be challenging, especially for organizations that are not used to using a design-thinking approach.
  3. May require organizational change: Implementing a service design approach may require changes to the way an organization operates, which can be difficult to achieve without strong leadership and support.
  4. May not be suitable for all types of projects: Service design may not be the most appropriate approach for all types of projects or organizations, and may require careful consideration and planning before being adopted.


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