Role 4: The Maker
Based on my consulting and teaching experience, service designers perform seven critical roles on complex, multi-faceted innovation projects: The Empathizer, The Sensemaker, The Creator, The Maker, The Navigator, The Storyteller, and The Servant Leader (Bau, 2013, 2020). For the sake of brevity, each role is explained using three capabilities. For each capability, the service designer carries out specific activities, applies specific methods and tools, and makes specific deliverables/assets.
Let’s take a deep dive into the role of The Maker
Three core capabilities to build and master:
Designing, executing, and interpreting experiments
Prototyping, validating, and refining concepts
Building, launching, and refining pilots
Five valuable toolkits to dip into:
Format: Author(s) > Project phase(s)
LUMA Workplace (2020) > Making
IDEO (2020) > Ideation + Implementation
Kumar (2013) > Realize Offerings
Stickdorn et al. (2018) > Prototyping
Hines & Bishop (2015) > Forecasting
Eight useful methods and tools to apply (not exhaustive by any means):
Paper Prototyping
Desktop Walkthrough
Behavioral Prototyping (Roleplay)
Cardboard Prototyping
Schematic Diagramming
Wizard of Oz
Interactive Click Modelling
Pilot Development and Testing
References
Bau, R. (2013, October). What it takes to become a superb service designer. SX 2013 [Adaptive Path’s Service Experience conference], San Francisco, CA.
Bau, R. (2020). Service design to the rescue. The critical roles service designers play in organizational change. Touchpoint, 11(3), 74–79.
Hines, A. & Bishop, P. (2015). Thinking about the future. Guidelines for strategic foresight (2nd ed.). Hinesight.
IDEO. (2020). Design Kit.
Kumar, V. (2012). 101 design methods: A structured approach for driving innovation in your organization. Wiley.
LUMA Workplace. (2020). Methods.
Stickdorn et al. (2018). This is service design doing: Applying service design thinking in the real world. O’Reilly Media.
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