Course On Service Design

Just got invited to give a course on service design (two days) in Innsbruck Austria at the MCI. That's going to be great!

Brand Book Holland

Some time ago we created a brand book (a silver box with three books in it... and a Miffy) for the economic image of Holland. This was part of a larger nation branding project we do for the Dutch government.

We created a mainly visual brand-book and it's used as a starting point and source of inspiration by the Dutch government and other Dutch organizations. We worked on this project with Simon Anholt and I've always been very pleased with the result.
Especially because we were aloud to tell an emotional story using images and narratives.

Just a few weeks a go we were asked to put the books online. This means I can share it with you now.

Take a look at "... and the Dutch created Holland"

Service Stories #11

I'm collecting these testimonials because they are of interest to me as a service designer. Besides that they are a powerful sign that the world is changing. Organizations and companies need to realize that they are becoming ever more transparent and vulnerable. If they like it or not. So it's time to pay attention.

Service Innovation Briefing by Innovaro

"Service innovation is fast becoming the most interesting and successful area of innovation for businesses. Now accounting for 70% of the aggregate production and employment in OECD nations, service innovation is widely seen as critical for longer-term growth and prosperity. While the economic downturn has hit some parts of the services sector very hard, it is clear that the trend towards service domination in the major economies is here to stay. The ageing population will have a greater need for social and health services; both the obese and the health conscious sections of society will drive an increase in wellness and nutrition services; and the opening up of all levels of education will drive innovation in the provision of teaching and learning.These are just three drivers of growth in the service sector."

Read the whole thing.....

(Via Choosenick)

IDEO Toolkit Human Centered Design

Great Toolkit by IDEO.

Why Customer Service Sucks

Service Stories #10

Rant about Western Union

What do service designers do?

Designing for Services in Science and Technology-Based Enterprises was an interdisciplinary research project (2006-2007) initiated by Saïd Business School (SBS) at the University of Oxford.

The study explored how academics, service designers, and science and technology entrepreneurs understand the designing of services in science and technology-based enterprises, and featured three case study projects in which service designers helped early stage science and technology enterprises (re)design their services.

Get the details via Putting People First or Lucy Kimbell

Service Stories #9

I am collecting these testimonies (service stories) from end-users because they are great research material and help us gain more insight. Beside that these videos illustrate the changing world companies and governments are facing.