Design Thinking

Chapter 15Designing Services that Sing and Dance¹

Marina Candi

Reykjavik University Center for Research on Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Ahmad Beltagui

University of Wolverhampton

Introduction

Design in the context of services continues to baffle practitioners and academics alike. What can be designed when there is no thing to design? Design is usually understood as the activity of giving form to manufactured products. So when it comes to intangible services, it may seem like there is not much that designers can apply their skills to. Nevertheless, as the importance of service industries has grown and jobs in manufacturing industries have declined, there is increased recognition that service design may in fact offer a means for the scope of the design profession to grow (Candi, 2007). Examples such as the Apple iPhone, Bang & Olufsen sound systems, and the Volkswagen Beetle have imprinted the clear message that product design can make a huge difference. None of these examples represents the most advanced technological innovations, but each can command premium prices and persistent market recognition based on outstanding design. Similarly, design—unlikely as it may seem to sound—can be used to create competitive differentiation in services (Candi, 2010).

The key to understanding service design is to recognize that design need not only be about giving form to physical objects. Design thinking involves reframing problems in a manner that allows novel solutions to be developed ...