Service design tools and methods are available in abundance in written or online materials, guidelines, toolkits and templates. Some of them target an audience who are interested in developing public services; others provide general advice for service design(ers). We have collected a selection of tools that can be used as a ‘starting toolkit’ for a public sector organisation willing to engage itself in service design. This selection of tools is accompanied by short descriptions about what each tool is useful for as well as a selection of links to online resources where further details, guidance, templates or cases can be found.
The offering map (or proposition map) is a structured way to describe what the service intends to deliver for clients. Although there is no standard structure for an offering map (thus it must be customised based on the service in question), it should summarise what elements the service consists of, how it is used or accessed and what benefits it brings to the user.
Templates and examples online:
A service blueprint is a visual representation of the service delivery process. The matrix format uses two dimensions: (1) steps or activities of the process as time passes and (2) roles, participants or actors. Both the current state and the future plans of the service delivery can be depicted. Special emphasis is given to touchpoints between the service provider and the client as well as the ‘line of visibility’ (between front-office and back-office activities). There might be variations in the service or different routes to be followed by different clients.
Templates and examples online:
- https://servicedesigntools.org/tools/service-blueprint
- https://www.liveworkstudio.com/tools/service-blueprints/
- www.servicedesigntoolkit.org/assets2013/posters/EN/F8-blueprint-A0.pdf
- https://www.designcouncil.org.uk/sites/default/files/asset/document
- www.lucykimbell.com/stuff/Fieldstudio_SocialDesignMethodsMenu.pdf
- https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/british-columbians-our-governments/
Think through how you plan to roll out the service. The first version, the minimum viable product (MVP), may be followed by further enhancements, and it is wise to plan them as much as you can.
Templates and examples online:
Check if there is a good fit between your service offer and clients’ expectations. Define why clients want to use the service, what problems they try to solve and what negative and positive aspects they face (pains and gains). The value proposition describes how the service aims to solve clients’ problems, ease their pains and provide them the gains they want. Remember, clients are not alike; the value proposition canvas can be different for various segments (or personas).
Templates and examples online:
Define key performance indicators (KPIs) in advance so that you can always keep in sight what matters in the end and what you aim to achieve with the service design project. On the one hand, KPIs should refer to desired outcomes that are relevant to clients (like user satisfaction or total processing time). Public services often have a broader societal impact as well: even if these impacts are long-term and/or not measurable at the level of clients, it is still worth defining them so that you can demonstrate how service may have broader implications.
Templates and examples online:
- https://servicedesigntools.org/tools/success-metrics
- https://www.forgov.qld.gov.au/file/41611/download?token=FteT2kQW
- https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/british-columbians-our-governments
- https://lx.iriss.org.uk/sites/default/files/resources/The%20journey%20to%20the%20interface.pdf
- https://www.undp.org/content/dam/undp/library/capacity-development
- https://www.nesta.org.uk/toolkit/designing-for-public-services-a-practical-guide/