Product innovation through a Service Design lens
“The lines between hardware, software, and services are blurred or are disappearing”
The quote from Tim Cook represents a dynamic that will result in a shift from feature focused innovation to service based innovation, a move from technology-centric IoT to human services.
We've all turned our noses up at the disconnected promises of refrigerators that order eggs and cheese when sensors identify the need. The premise of responsive machine intelligence as a guiding strategy is sound, but focus on technology based innovation paired with user trend data is what leaves consumers non-responsive. Corporate initiatives driving feature innovation without user deep user insight.
The risks are high for organizations that activate or roll out strategic initiatives based on business triggers that have ignored emergent organizations or network externalities, but it’s not unusual for entities to be blind to their own systems biases. That’s why it’s crucial to have R&D processes that incorporate external factors within a human-centric practice at the planning stage and throughout design.
As an Experience Strategist / Design Lead I see the failure in organizations of all size at the product or service design stage. That’s the typical inflection point when the “help us fix this” calls come.
The solution to understanding the true needs and insights is a user-centric strategy and design, customer experience innovation and product development informed by Service Design will drive organizational change.
User empathy and Service Design within the R&D process is the key to breaking the rut of feature obsessed innovation
Service Design: Fixing the Whole System
Service Designers don't just jump in to create a new app or website (a UI). Instead, they zoom out to get a complete, systemic understanding of all the moving parts—the people, processes, and technology—that make up a service. They figure out the single point where making a change will have the biggest, most positive effect. It's all about healing the entire system, not just stopping one symptom.
This holistic approach means they may recommend changes that have nothing to do with a screen.
Example 1: Streamlining Hospital Check-ins
A UX designer might be asked to fix a confusing hospital check-in kiosk. A Service Designer, however, would step back and realize the real problem isn't the screen—it's that the front desk procedure requires three different staff members to enter the same information into three different systems. The solution isn't a better kiosk UI; it's integrating the three internal databases and rewriting the staff handbook so information is only collected once. This systemic fix makes the check-in smoother for both the patient and the staff.
Example 2: Improving a Loan Application Process
If a bank's online loan application has a high dropout rate, a Product Manager might push to add more explanatory text to the web form. A Service Designer would investigate and find that many applicants are being rejected after submitting due to an outdated rule or algorithm that automatically flags certain zip codes as high-risk. The fix isn't to change the website's UI, but to update the core risk algorithm and tweak the criteria for manual review, resulting in higher approval rates and a better customer experience overall.
In both cases, the Service Designer applies pressure where it's truly needed—on procedures, rules, or algorithms—to make a fundamental, lasting improvement to the service.
