Assessing the Perception of Service Design:
The Impact of Satisfaction
Academic researchers agree on the difficulty of developing metrics and evidence-based frameworks for assessing the impact of service developments. Understanding the complexity of such a challenge, we focused on researching participant’s (practitioners and clients) perception and satisfaction of service design methods, techniques, and tools.
A systematic literature search was followed by an integrative review and included: The current state of design thinking in organizations; service evolution and development; satisfaction and loyalty metrics; reviews and recommendations for service innovation diffusion; and the mapping of service design research. Perception of academia is prevalent in the referred literature while that of service practitioners and their clients is not as evident. Uncertainties about the satisfactory results of service design methods, techniques, and tools present an area of opportunity for further examination.
A pre-validated satisfaction survey was applied to provide a foundation for in-depth interviews. Initial study results revealed that project participants have a lack of confidence in service design methods, techniques, and tools, which creates insecurities between the participants. Our final analysis indicates opportunities to improve these relationships.
A singular definition of service design is not as important as building a sharing understanding and implementation of service design. To establish trust and manage expectations, service design practitioners need to communicate the process transparently and encourage participation with participants to foster a sense of ownership. A multidisciplinary approach and use of a shared language are both necessary for co-creating effective service design solutions across multiple channels over time.
The lack of appropriate measurement techniques remains a pain point for practitioners and clients. Service design processes need to adapt to the objectives and culture of individual organizations so that measuring profit of intangibles such as loyalty, satisfaction, and well-being may sustain.
CONCLUSION
To grow Touchpoint’s readership and establish a value network, content must capture the attention and
gain interest from different publics. This new approach will enhance the innovative edge of Touchpoint and will give readers the resources and knowledge needed in order to contribute to industry growth.