Service Design Show

Service Design Show

Details

Go beyond the basics of service design and learn what it truly takes to deliver services that make a positive impact on people, business and planet.

Recent Episodes

NOV 5, 2026
Why Service Design Needs Its Own Museum / Rachel Goldie / Episode #266
Service design is not just invisible processes. Discover how the physical objects we interact with every day quietly shape customer trust and redefine user experiences. We usually assume services are completely intangible. You cannot put a service on a shelf. But the people using your services interact with physical things. They hold objects, wear specific clothing, and stand in spaces that quietly signal trust. When these service enabling objects send the wrong message, the user experience breaks down completely. Guest Rachel Goldie joins the show to reveal the physical layer of service design we all take for granted. šŸŽ§ In This Episode: The Intangibility Myth: Why physical objects are the fastest way to truly understand a service. Career Pivots: Rachel's journey from printed textiles to researching policing services. Designing for Trust: What a standard shopping trolley reveals about customer confidence. Hidden Meanings: The story behind a forgotten police station bell and a bus route hoodie. Identity and Design: How putting on a simple hospital gown instantly changes who you are. Preserving History: Creating the world's first Museum of Service Design. Look at the first service object you touch after listening. Ask yourself what it says about the service behind it. Is that message intentional or purely accidental? Share this conversation with a fellow designer to help them see the hidden physical layers in their own work! Be well, ~ Marc --- [ 1. GUIDE ] --- 00:00 Introduction 03:30 Dusty Bell 06:30 Textile Roots 10:00 Object Identity 14:45 Touchpoints 19:00 Service Museum 28:00 Everyday Objects 31:15 Chained Pen 35:00 Shopping Trolley 44:00 Baggage Sizers 50:00 Personal Submission 54:15 Participate 58:45 Closing Question --- [ 2. LINKS ] --- Rachel Goldie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachel-goldie-made-by-us/ Museum of Service Design Website: https://museum-of-service-design.vercel.app Museum of Service Design on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/museum-of-service-design Jamilet (Co-founder) on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jam-yln/ Daniella Levins (Co-founder) on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniella-levins-frsa-7a390b1a4/ --- [ 3. CIRCLE ] --- Join our private community for in-house service design professionals. ⁠https://servicedesignshow.com/circle ---[4. FIND THE SHOW ON] --- Youtube ~ https://go.servicedesignshow.com/266-youtube Spotify ~ https://go.servicedesignshow.com/266-spotify Apple ~ https://go.servicedesignshow.com/266-apple Snipd ~ https://go.servicedesignshow.com/266-snipd
62 MIN
OCT 29, 2026
What's This Journey Management Conference All About? / Jochem van der Veer / #BTM26
Wondering how to pitch journey management to your team or if you should attend the biggest event in the space? TheyDo CEO Jochem van der Veer shares a brilliant flowchart to help you decide exactly who needs to be in the room. In this final installment of our special Beyond The Map series, we explore unconventional advice on event attendance. Jochem breaks down the exact steps to figure out your next move and how to drive real change in your organization. šŸ“In This Episode The Unconventional Pitch: Why Jochem says you absolutely should not buy a ticket if you are in doubt. The Decision Flowchart: How to know if you should do discovery work alone or bring the ultimate problem owner. Series Wrap Up: A final look at our special series and what to expect on the ground in London. If you could invite one person from your organization to a journey management conference, who would it be? Drop a comment below and let us know. If you are coming to London, definitely reach out so we can shake hands at the event. Enjoy and keep bringing people along. Be well, ~ Marc --- [ 1. GUIDE ] --- 00:00 Introduction 04:15 Origins 07:15 Expectations 10:15 Venue 12:45 The Flowchart 16:30 Sponsor Balance 19:30 Surprises 23:45 Keynotes 24:45 Tickets --- [ 2. LINKS & RESOURCES ] --- Jochem's LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jochemvanderveer/ Beyond The Map Conference - beyondthemap.com Special Discount: Use code SDS26 for 25% off your ticket. --- [ 3. CIRCLE ] --- Join our private community for in-house service design professionals. ⁠https://servicedesignshow.com/circle ---[4. FIND THE SHOW ON] --- Youtube ~ https://go.servicedesignshow.com/btm26-jochem-youtube Spotify ~ https://go.servicedesignshow.com/btm26-jochem-spotify Apple ~ https://go.servicedesignshow.com/btm26-jochem-apple Snipd ~ https://go.servicedesignshow.com/btm26-jochem-snipd
27 MIN
OCT 22, 2026
The Skill Every Design Professional Assumes They Already Have / Karen Hentschel / Episode #265
Listening is the ultimate communication cheat code, yet nobody ever trains for it. Join us as Karen Hentschel reveals her radical 15-minute listening practice and how to turn complex information into human connection. Karen is the co-founder of Simply Onno, a service that translates complex medical documents into plain language so patients can actually take charge of their health. Before that, she spent years at Nokia, Fjord, and IDEO making dense information navigable. Today, we sit down to discuss what real, active listening looks like in the wild. We explore how to train this vital skill and how to maintain your professional identity when you are no longer the one shipping the shiny output. Consider this episode your masterclass in the craft of listening. šŸŽ§ In This Episode The 15-Minute Practice: Karen reveals her intense voice message routine for building listening endurance. Plain Language: How Simply Onno translates confusing medical jargon into clear patient narratives. Listening as a Business Model: Why the ability to hear and process information is a concrete skill and not just a metaphor. Professional Identity: How to find value in your work when you aren't producing traditional deliverables. The Big Twist: A surprising revelation near the end of our conversation that you will not see coming. Who could you listen to for 15 minutes straight without interrupting or preparing a reply? Let us know in the comments below or drop a review to share your thoughts! Make sure to subscribe so you never miss an episode. Enjoy the conversation and keep making a positive impact! Be well, ~ Marc --- [ 1. GUIDE ] --- 00:00 Listening Challenge 01:15 Meet Karen 04:30 Strong Opinions 11:00 Design Spectrum 15:45 Simply Ono 20:15 Healthcare Design 26:30 Authentic Feedback 32:00 Real Listening 36:15 Identity Conflicts 42:15 Hardest Lesson 49:00 Leadership Calls 53:45 Mindful Decisions 55:45 Closing Question --- [ 2. LINKS ] --- LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/hentschelkaren Simply Onno - https://www.simply-onno.com/en/ --- [ 3. CIRCLE ] --- Join our private community for in-house service design professionals. ⁠https://servicedesignshow.com/circle ---[4. FIND THE SHOW ON] --- Youtube ~ https://go.servicedesignshow.com/265-youtube Spotify ~ https://go.servicedesignshow.com/265-spotify Apple ~ https://go.servicedesignshow.com/265-apple Snipd ~ https://go.servicedesignshow.com/265-snipd
59 MIN
OCT 15, 2026
Why Journey Mapping Is the EASY Part / Cecilie Kobbelgaard / #BTM26
Tired of polished case studies that ignore the messy reality of driving organizational change? In this episode, Cecilie Kobbelgaard shares the unfiltered truth about embedding journey management inside Grundfos over the last four years. šŸŽ§ In This Episode: The reality behind "it sold itself" success stories. Why journey management is actually everything except journey mapping. How a simple cup of tea became the ultimate adoption tool. Real lessons from four years of trial and error at a 20,000 employee supertanker. Ready for more honest stories? Catch Cecilie's full talk at the upcoming Beyond the Map conference in London from November 9 to 11. Secure your spot today and come say hi to Marc in person! Enjoy the conversation and keep making wiser decisions! Be well, ~ Marc --- [ 1. GUIDE ] --- 00:00 Introduction 02:15 Meet Cecilie 05:00 Honest Truth 07:15 Hitting Reality 09:45 Grundfosifying 13:00 Stop Pretending 15:45 Key Takeaways 19:15 Driving Excellence 22:00 Outro --- [ 2. LINKS ] --- LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ceciliekobbelgaard/ Beyond the Map Conference: beyondthemap.com Get 25% off your ticket with code: SDS26 --- [ 3. CIRCLE ] --- Join our private community for in-house service design professionals. ⁠https://servicedesignshow.com/circle ---[4. FIND THE SHOW ON] --- Youtube ~ https://go.servicedesignshow.com/btm26-cecilie-youtube Spotify ~ https://go.servicedesignshow.com/btm26-cecilie-spotify Apple ~ https://go.servicedesignshow.com/btm26-cecilie-apple Snipd ~ https://go.servicedesignshow.com/btm26-cecilie-snipd
23 MIN
OCT 7, 2026
Why Empathy Isn't Enough in Service Design / Lara Salinas / Episode #264
Empathy is treated like the ultimate superpower in service design, yet well-meaning teams still build services that fail people in the real world. In this episode, service design researcher and educator Lara Salinas reveals what actually comes after empathy and how to get meaningful work done inside slow-moving organizations. Every job post, design brief, and conference talk puts empathy on a pedestal. We imagine a user's life for a brief moment, check the box, and go right back to our project timelines. As Lara shares from her own lived experience with type 1 diabetes, understanding someone's struggle means very little if the system you design still gives them a 15-minute lunch break when taking insulin takes 10. Currently working with Camden Council in London to make good design practice visible across UK local government, Lara knows firsthand how public and private systems get stuck. Together, we unpack why the obsession with efficiency only makes services cheaper instead of better. Instead of another flashy framework, Lara introduces a concept almost nobody has the courage to say out loud in a stakeholder meeting. If you want to bring your whole self to work, create genuine impact, and still hit your deadlines, this conversation is for you. šŸŽ§ In This Episode The Empathy Trap: Why imagining a user's experience is no substitute for changing the rules and structures around them. What Comes After Empathy: The unexpected principle that turns good intentions into real-world action, even in rigid stakeholder meetings. The Efficiency Illusion: Why optimizing for speed and lower costs keeps making modern services worse for the people who rely on them. Navigating Slow Organizations: How Lara champions good service design practice inside UK local government without burning out. Picking Your Battles: How to recognize when to stop pushing against organizational walls and simply go around them. When was the last time a service went the extra mile for you? Not just someone saying "we understand," but actually doing the small, practical thing that made your day. Drop your story in the comments below! Enjoy the episode and keep making a positive impact! Be well, ~ Marc --- [ 1. GUIDE ] --- 00:00 Intro 03:30 Welcome 04:00 Efficiency 05:45 Fine Arts 07:45 Community Garden 09:15 Gardening Mindset 10:45 Rules 12:15 Forgiveness 14:30 Co-Design Leadership 18:15 Coffee Analogy 21:00 Social Prescribing 22:45 Designer Burnout 24:15 Compromises 26:15 Optimism 31:45 Beyond Empathy 37:15 Impact Stories 41:45 Scaling Out 47:15 Reflection 51:30 Happiness 55:15 Final Question 57:00 Closing Reflections --- [ 2. LINKS ] --- * LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-lara-salinas-frsa-0973a82a --- [ 3. CIRCLE ] --- Join our private community for in-house service design professionals. ⁠https://servicedesignshow.com/circle ---[4. FIND THE SHOW ON] --- Youtube ~ https://go.servicedesignshow.com/264-youtube Spotify ~ https://go.servicedesignshow.com/264-spotify Apple ~ https://go.servicedesignshow.com/264-apple Snipd ~ https://go.servicedesignshow.com/264-snipd
59 MIN