This is Service Design Doing: Applying Service Design Thinking in the Real World

Let us begin our journey into the world of service design with a gentle unwrapping of what makes every experience truly memorable. Imagine, if you will, a childhood game—Pass the Parcel—where a mysterious gift is wrapped in countless layers, each concealing the treasure within. In many ways, our daily encounters with services are just like this game. The core offering, whether a meal, a bank account, or a hospital stay, is hidden beneath layers of behavior, expertise, processes, and systems.What most organizations forget is that customers rarely care about the technical core; they judge by the warmth of the greeting, the clarity of information, and the ease of the journey. Research tells us that in hospitals, for example, the top factors for patient satisfaction have little to do with the outcome of treatment and everything to do with empathy, communication, and inclusion in decisions. Similarly, at a bank or a burger joint, it’s not the interest rate or the secret sauce that wins hearts—it’s the seamless login, the friendly smile, the absence of friction.

But what happens when these layers fail? The world witnessed the consequences when a musician’s guitar was broken by an airline and his complaints were ignored. His story, told through song and shared online, became a global lesson in the power of customer experience. A single voice, amplified by social media, can shake a brand’s reputation to its core. In today’s world, every layer matters, because every customer has the power to be heard.

The lesson here is simple yet profound: the experience is the product. The next time you unwrap a service, pay attention to every layer. For it is in these layers that loyalty is won or lost, and where organizations must focus if they wish to thrive. Now, let us gently peel back another layer and explore the challenges organizations face in delivering these experiences...