John Cleese at the Creativity World Forum, about the importance of creativity

via Lauren

Help Us Write 'Intentions': A Book About Failure

"If you're not prepared to be wrong, you'll never come up with anything original." - Sir Ken Robinson

Welcome to Intentions, a collaborative project between Arne van Oosterom and Kate Andrews.

Our aim is to create a book of compelling stories from around the world, capturing how young creative people struggle to make a difference, in an indifferent world.

The book 'Intentions' will tell stories about the importance of making mistakes. Because from failure we learn and grow. This is what being creative is all about. It is about learning by trying, sketching and experimenting. It is failure which makes us grow the most, not 'success'.

Intentions puts the importance of failure center stage for a change.

And we need your help! So, do you have a story to tell us about? Post it here on Facebook. And maybe you can become a part of Intentions.

JOIN US...

BOOKaBOOK lets Readers Decide

Just notised BOOKaBOOK. A very intresting concept:

"Most books that are written are never published. Why? Publishers reject more than 80% of the manuscripts that they receive from writers. This means that readers depend heavily on what publishers decide to publish. BOOKaBOOK wants to change this situation: readers decide what books are published."

BOOKaBOOK

Alex Nisbett in Prisson

"What role can design play in addressing some of the complex issues associated with the experience of visiting in prisons? More broadly, how can design-led strategies support the maintenance of family ties, an important factor in reducing a prisoner's risk of re-offending?"

Watch the film with Alex Nisbett. (Engine Service Design)

Twitter Interview

Had a nice surprice when I came home this afternoon. A week ago I (amongs others) had an experimental interview with the Dutch magazine Adformatie... on Twitter (@adformatie). And I didn't know they were going to print it. So I was a bit surpised when I saw my Tweets in print. But it turned out real nice.

Download the pdf (it's in Dutch)

Sustainable Mobility

Now!Move is a project we do on sustainable Mobility, mobility that doesn't take more than it gives.

The first subject we are tackling is our Congested Cities. The suffocating grip traffic has on our daily life. Specially in older cities, never build for large number of cars, we could do with a new approach.

A congested city (or country) usually means an economic congestion as well, but it definitely spells problems concerning safety and health for the people living in the city.

So what can we do? Well, one of the biggest problems is using your car for short trips. One possible solution: everyone should use a bicycle for trips shorter that 5 Km.

To a City like Amsterdam this would mean an almost car free city. It means an economic boast because of the more Accessible City, and last but not least it would have a big positive effect on health because of the improved air-quality, safety on the roads and people simply getting more exercise. There is a lot to profit.

Now, this is never going to happen quick. Mentalities, politics, laziness and old habits are in the way. They always are. But in due time there is no doubt that things will start moving.

Now!Move is going to give a little push.

This blog on the project is put up to keep you posted. But more important we set up a experimental "project twitter" to have a real conversation.

So join the conversation on Twitter (twitter.com/NowMove) and place @NowMove before your Tweets so we can track the conversation.

Joseph Pine: What Do Customers Really Want?

TED posted a great presentation held bij Joseph Pine from 2004 "What Do Customers Really Want?"



via Ferry van Ommen

Fourth Order Design? What Do You Think?

Lately people started talking to me about the "fourth order design" or systemic integration. The person who comes up the most in this discussion is Richard Buchanan.

And I found these articles from Jeff Howard:
Buchanan Keynote
Kip And Jamin Interview
I found this and this
And than there is this very informative website fourthorderdesign.com

That's about it...

I would like to form an opinion about it and need more information. Can anyone point me in the right direction?

And let me know what your thoughts are about the subject.
(ps: getting some great feedback. Please go to 'comments')

Service Stories #14

Interactive Table Bank Prototype

Making a good prototype film is never easy.

EasySMS Bank

I like to watch these prototype films. Specially when they are a bit strange like this one...

Niall Harbison On Customer Service

Visit his blog

Service Stories #13

Is "Transformation" a Better Concept Than "Innovation" to Guide us Forward?

Posted by: Bruce Nussbaum on January 03

"We are having a great conversation on one of the most important subjects in our lives—how we can change our broken institutions and out-dated culture to survive and thrive within 21st century forces. The thread is brilliant and I’m learning a lot.

Here are the reasons why I think the concept of “transformation” is of great utility and power than “innovation at this point in time."

Read on...

via lauren and Jeff

Service Stories #12

Customer Service On Steroids... and something els

The powerful link between creativity and play

Tim Brown on TED

"At the 2008 Serious Play conference, designer Tim Brown talks about the powerful relationship between creative thinking and play -- with many examples you can try at home (and one that maybe you shouldn't)."

DesignThinkers 5 Steps Service Innovation Method

DesignThinkers assists Public and Private organizations and companies in delivering the best possible service. We help them to be more innovative and competitive.

We created a 5 steps service innovation method to guide us while working on complex Service Design projects.

Download our 5 steps method.

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.

IED Service Design workshop by Engine

Designing Services Together

Kent County Council and Engine Service Design

Craig LaRosa on Service Design

Service Design Theory Weary

The last three days I have been attending the Service Design Conference in Amsterdam. All in all, it has been a great experience and I met a lot of inspiring and inspired people.

I liked seeing all the faces that belonged to the names I already new. I enjoyed the presentations the second day. Although I did dose off from time to time... but that's me. And I thought the workshop by Carnegie Mellon University and Engine was inspiring. I believe Alex Nisbett (Engine) is just brilliant.

But after three day's of listening and talking and listening and talking about what service design is or could be I am theory weary.

I have a restless and insubordinate brain and after a while it starts rejecting everything that has to do with rules and methods thought up by others. Especially academics... with all due respect. Please forgive me but it's just that I am tired of people creating there own little reality and talking in circles. We seem to put so much effort in explaining what service design is... to ourselves. I can't take it anymore. This morning I even started explaining service design to myself in the mirror... I didn't get it.

I think it's about time we stop talking and go out there, get our hands dirty, do something and deliver. And my bet is that consultancies/ agencies are going to do just that. I'm sure that next year we will see lots of presentations (mainly from consultancies) about clever life-altering solutions with real results. Big and small. And I promise that I will make a worth to watch contribution. If not, I will delete the word service from our website and change it for communication.

(Alex Nisbett at the Service Design Conference Amsterdam 2008)

Tim Brown on design thinking in Dubai

Read Tim Brown's post and join the interesting discussion that follows on his blog.

"While I can be legitimately criticized for seeing every conversation as an opportunity for design thinking, I came away from Dubai with a strong feeling that design can make a contribution to improving the way we tackle the deep systemic issues the world now faces."

New Zealand Engaging Everywhere

Laura Sommer, Acting Manager, E-government Strategy and Policy, State Services Commission, New Zealand, speaks on New Zealand Government insights from online engagement to enhance policy and service design and delivery.

Tuality Hospital Training Video Part 2

Tuality Hospital Training Video Part 1

Design Thinking at Rotman

Great interview with Roger Martin, Dean of Rotman.

Via Choosenick and Metacool.

The Female Customer's Time Horizon

The lunch currier

Draft version of the video presented at the "Changing the Change" conference in Torino (July 2008)

Service Opportunities

A great list of service opportunities from Patricia Seybold (Outside Innovation).

".... Here are just a few examples of customer-unfriendly policies that annoy customers while increasing operational costs:

• Placing a multi-day hold on funds deposited at an ATM machine, forcing customers to come into the branches to make deposits so they can access their money (a common banking practice in several countries).
• Requiring that a serial number match a service contract number before you'll provide technical support or renew a support contract.
• Requiring that the customer type in a long license key in order to load the software he has purchased.
• Limiting the number of times a customer can load a game, music, or other purchased intellectual property on his own machines or systems.
• Making it difficult for customers to return or exchange goods they have purchased.
• Making it difficult for customers to redeem coupons or rebates in the hopes that they will neglect to do so.
• Making it difficult for distribution partners to gain approval for promotional programs and deals before they can quote a price to end-customers.
• Making it difficult for customers to renew, exchange, and/or co-terminate a support contract that covers a number of products, many of which have been added, moved, or amended since the contract was originated.
• Making it difficult for customers to change the terms of a loan, mortgage, or other financial agreement when their circumstances have changed.
• Providing networked products that can't self-register and identify themselves when they connect to a network.
• Requiring customers who travel to pre-notify their credit card providers and their mobile/wireless providers that they are about to travel in order to ensure that they receive uninterrupted service. "

Read the article.....

(Via Choosenick)