How ResearchOps saves time and maximizes impact / Kate Towsey / Episode #189

Service Design Show

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18:09

HR is no longer just about managing people—it’s about shaping the future of work. Jens Baier, BCG’s HR transformation expert, discusses how AI and shifting employee expectations are forcing companies to rethink talent strategies. From re-recruiting to upskilling employees, HR must adapt to a rapidly changing landscape. Learn More: Jens Baier: https://on.bcg.com/41ca7Gv BCG on People Strategy: https://on.bcg.com/3QtAjro Decoding Global Talent: https://on.bcg.com/4gUC4IT…

рік тому 58:52

M4A•Головна епізоду

ResearchOps, it's a real game-changer... To drive home why, let me share a personal story.

I've been producing this podcast for six years now. There are at least 60 steps that need to be completed before a conversation reaches your ears.

Over the years, I've put different systems in place to make the production process run smoother. But here's the interesting part: Today, I spend about the same amount of time on each episode as I did in my first year.

So what's changed, you ask?

Now that I've standardized and documented the entire process, much of the logistical overhead is out of the way. I use that time to focus on our guests and the quality of our conversation -- the magic happens there.

So, what does this have to do with research?

Well, what if we applied a similar approach to research? We all know that there's no service design without research. However, getting the time and resources needed for proper research is tough.

Research is still often seen as an expense to be minimized rather than the investment it truly is—an investment that multiplies the value of your work down the line.

How can we streamline the research process to free up more time for the real magic to happen?

Well, that's where ResearchOps comes in! It's a community of passionate professionals looking into how research can be done smarter and deliver more value. Our guest in this episode, Kate Towsey, is at the forefront of this community.

In our conversation, we discuss how we, as service design professionals, can benefit from the work done by the ResearchOps community and why service design plays a crucial role in making ResearchOps even better—a beautiful self-reinforcing loop.

One important point from my conversation with Kate is that streamlining the research process isn't about doing less research—it's about increasing its quality.

Enjoy the chat, and keep making a positive impact!

~ Marc

--- [ 1. GUIDE ] ---

00:00 Welcome to Episode 189

05:00 Who is Kate

06:30 How I stumbled into Service Design

09:00 Lightning Round

11:00 Intersection Between ResearchOps and Service Design

14:15 What is ResearchOps?

20:45 Importance of a Research Library

27:00 The Secret to Research

32:00 How it impacts adoption

37:00 What's missing with ResearchOps

44:00 Importance of Research Strategy

48:30 Advise when connecting with a ResearchOps

52:00 The Future of ResearchOps

55:30 Resources

--- [ 2. LINKS ] ---

https://www.linkedin.com/in/katetowsey/
ResearchOps Community - https://chacha.club/
http://katetowsey.com/

--- [ 3. CIRCLE ] ---

Join our private community for in-house service design professionals.

270 епізодів

#Business Trends #Business #Service Design

Service Design Show

How ResearchOps saves time and maximizes impact / Kate Towsey / Episode #189

Service Design Show

120 subscribers

published рік тому

Поширити

M4A•Головна епізоду

ResearchOps, it's a real game-changer... To drive home why, let me share a personal story.

I've been producing this podcast for six years now. There are at least 60 steps that need to be completed before a conversation reaches your ears.

So what's changed, you ask?

So, what does this have to do with research?

Well, what if we applied a similar approach to research? We all know that there's no service design without research. However, getting the time and resources needed for proper research is tough.

Research is still often seen as an expense to be minimized rather than the investment it truly is—an investment that multiplies the value of your work down the line.

How can we streamline the research process to free up more time for the real magic to happen?

One important point from my conversation with Kate is that streamlining the research process isn't about doing less research—it's about increasing its quality.

Enjoy the chat, and keep making a positive impact!

~ Marc

--- [ 1. GUIDE ] ---

00:00 Welcome to Episode 189

05:00 Who is Kate

06:30 How I stumbled into Service Design

09:00 Lightning Round

11:00 Intersection Between ResearchOps and Service Design

14:15 What is ResearchOps?

20:45 Importance of a Research Library

27:00 The Secret to Research

32:00 How it impacts adoption

37:00 What's missing with ResearchOps

44:00 Importance of Research Strategy

48:30 Advise when connecting with a ResearchOps

52:00 The Future of ResearchOps

55:30 Resources

--- [ 2. LINKS ] ---

https://www.linkedin.com/in/katetowsey/
ResearchOps Community - https://chacha.club/
http://katetowsey.com/

--- [ 3. CIRCLE ] ---

Join our private community for in-house service design professionals.

⁠https://servicedesignshow.com/circle

270 епізодів

#Business Trends #Business #Service Design

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Why Feedback, Conflict, and Self-Awareness are Key to a Thriving Career / Tash Willcocks / Ep. #223 55:28

5 днів тому55:28

55:28

I try to avoid conflict... most of the time. It creates tension that I usually find counter-productive. But what if this tension is actually the catalyst for growth? Have I been missing out? Our guest Tash Willcocks thinks so. She's a self-proclaimed former conflict avoider who now champions the idea of "running towards the conflict" to unlock its potential for positive change. Yes, conflict creates a tension that most of us instinctively shy away from. But according to Tash, this tension can foster collaboration and drive personal growth when channeled in the right ways. There's just one small problem. Conflict in the workplace often occurs when people give (or receive) feedback. But most of us aren't really great at this. So, instead of using feedback as a constructive opportunity, things either spiral out of control, or people conceal the key message out of politeness. In both cases, it's a missed opportunity. The art is to find that sweet spot between kindness and clarity, where we can give and receive feedback in a way that feels supportive and helps us grow. I have to say, Tash's journey from conflict avoidance to embracing tension is quite inspiring. So, if you want to turn those tough conversations into moments where you learn and grow the most, this episode has you covered. Tash made me think: What is the best feedback I've received, from whom, and what made it so powerful? What would be your answer... Enjoy the episode, and keep making a positive impact! ~ Marc --- [ 1. GUIDE ] --- 00:00 Welcome to episode 223 04:00 Embracing creative conflict 05:45 What sparked her interest in this topic 07:00 Take hard conversations 10:30 Run towards the conflict 13:00 Teaching conflict 16:00 Opening up wounds 19:00 Radical candor 23:30 Avoiding hard talks 21430 Overcoming avoidance 27:00 Feedback and timing 30:00 Giving & receiving feedback 32:30 People solve problems 35:00 Beyond reading design books 38:00 Starving artist mindset 39:15 Takeaways so far 43:30 Drama triangle vs Empowerment triangle (40:00) 47:00 Creating self-awareness while drawing 49:30 Drawing as journaling 51:00 Ruthlessly curious 53:00 Piece of advice 54:45 Question to ponder 55:00 Resources --- [ 2. LINKS ] --- https://www.linkedin.com/in/tashwillcocks/ https://www.instagram.com/tashwillcocks https://bsky.app/profile/tashwillcocks.bsky.social Resources: Radical Candor (Book) Radical Candor (Podcast) Turn the Ship around - Book Ladder of leadership MindSpring Presents: "Greatness" by David Marquet Johari Window Giving and receiving feedback - cards Susan Wheelan Team Development Drama and Empowerment Triangle Scott Berkun - Why Design is hard --- [ 3. CIRCLE ] --- Join our private community for in-house service design professionals. ⁠https://servicedesignshow.com/circle…

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The 5 Business Skills Every Design Professional Needs to Master / Ryan Scott / Ep. #222 1:05:27

19 днів тому1:05:27

1:05:27

When advice goes wrong... My daughter is an avid soccer player. On a recent cold and dark Saturday morning, I was standing on the sideline cheering her on at a match - the priceless perks of being a dad. At some point, the opposing team coach was shouting to their players, "You need to defend better!" And all I could think to myself at that moment was, "That's terrible advice." Not because they were defending well - rather the opposite. But, I mean, "defend better" - would you know what you're supposed to do? Should I press higher, get closer to the attacker, make more forward runs? This type of advice often just leads to more confusion and coordination problems. Now, in design, we also get this type of well-intended but counter-productive advice all too often. Want a classic example? How about "designers need to understand business"? No sh*t Sherlock. We hear this ALL the time. Very rarely does someone go beyond the surface and get specific about what "understanding business" actually means. Fortunately for us, we have someone on the Show today who does - Ryan Scott. Ryan has an impressive track record in design, but he also holds an MBA degree. This combination is quite unique and gives him the ability to look at challenges from different perspectives with empathy for both sides. So in this episode, we unpack what it actually takes to bridge the gap between business and design. You'll be surprised to hear how many skills you already have to make this crossover successfully. It's not easy, but it's not as hard or distant as you might think, either. MBA degree not required. So, if you've ever felt frustrated by the lack of respect and appreciation for design from "the business side," this conversation might just hold the clue on how you can turn that around. I've always said that designers can be some of the best salespeople. It's really time that we start using this power to our advantage. Because we are all selling already, every single day. Enjoy and keep making a positive impact! ~ Marc --- [ 1. GUIDE ] --- 00:00 Welcome to episode 222 03:00 Broad Designer Role 05:00 Business vs. Users 07:30 Why an MBA? 11:00 Business for Designers 14:00 People Skills & Clout 15:30 Design Gaslighting 21:00 Joining the Conversation 22:30 The Gap 32:00 Management-Led Design 34:00 Shaping Your Perspective 36:00 Sales & Brand 38:00 Biggest Roadblock 41:30 Reframing Our Identity 46:15 Adapting to the System 48:45 Imposter Syndrome 51:45 Proving Your Impact 54:00 Competitive Analysis 56:30 Design Career Path 1:01:00 Question to Ponder 1:02:15 Resources --- [ 2. LINKS ] --- https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanscottcreative/ How to win friends and influence people by Dale Carnegie (book) - https://a.co/d/0VTXtJ3 48 laws of power by Robert Greene (book) - https://a.co/d/ftLLRom https://www.acceleratedesign.com/ Maven Learning - https://maven.com/ryan-scott --- [ 3. CIRCLE ] --- Join our private community for in-house service design professionals. ⁠https://servicedesignshow.com/circle…

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The Real Impact of AI on Service Design / Pablo Fernández Vallejo / Ep. #221 1:05:12

5 weeks тому1:05:12

1:05:12

AI won't take over your job... An 8-year-old girl with AI will! Don't believe me? Check ou this video which was making the rounds on LinkedIn a while ago. In the video a young girl coding a Harry Potter quiz game with the help of AI. In a matter of minutes. It's a funny and striking example of where things are heading – or should I say, where they already are. It'd be naive to think service design won't be affected. But the current conversations about AI's impact often lack depth, nuance, and practical examples. We don't seem to get much further than: "AI is good" or "AI is bad." What are we even talking about when we say "AI"? We need to unpack it. Go beyond the surface. Fortunately, our guest for this episode has done some of the heavy lifting for us. As an educator at one of the leading design institutes, Pablo Fernández Vallejo has to live in the future. He's always thinking about the skills future professionals will need in 4 years' time when they graduate. And of course, being able to make full use of AI is high on the list right now. So in this episode, we sit down and talk about big questions like: Do we need to become AI experts ourselves, or should we focus on further developing our critical thinking skills? What are the risks and opportunities of bringing AI into the design process? What are the tasks that we can safely outsource to AI and which ones should we be more careful with. So, whether you're an AI skeptic or optimist, I feel this conversation will challenge your thinking and help you make more informed decisions moving ahead. A thought-provoking question in this episode is what will happen to our professional identities when AI starts to blur the boundaries between disciplines. It's not a question of if it will happen, but how quickly. Curious to hear your thoughts, so make sure to leave a comment on below. Enjoy and keep making a positive impact. ~ Marc --- [ 1. GUIDE ] --- 00:00 Welcome to Episode 221 04:00 Grandparents' influence on AI perspective 06:00 Over-represented large language models 08:30 AI with a bias 11:00 Designing at the age of AI 14:00 Current state of designing with AI 17:30 Automation vs. Augmentation 19:30 AI’s Impact on Students 26:30 AI Possibilities vs. Limits 29:00 AI & Expertise Balance 30:00 Calculator analogy 32:30 AI & Service Commoditization 35:00 How AI impacts non-digital services 38:00 AI power dynamics 38:30 Service design for ai 42:30 AI as an active participant 44:30 Gaps in the society 47:15 Questions we should be asking 53:00 Sustainability & AI 55:00 Learning about past mistakes 57:00 Tech development and society conversation 59:30 The future we can build 1:00:40 Resources 1:02:00 Questions to ponder --- [ 2. LINKS ] --- https://www.linkedin.com/in/pablofernandezvallejo Co-Intelligence: Living and Working with AI by Ethan Mollick (Book) Pablo's talk on Impact of AI in Service Design Pablo's post-SDGC article on the state of the conversation https://www.fernandezvallejo.com/ --- [ 3. CIRCLE ] --- Join our private community for in-house service design professionals. ⁠https://servicedesignshow.com/circle…

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The Art of Responsible Service Design / KA McKercher / Ep. #220 1:03:15

7 weeks тому1:03:15

1:03:15

I crossed a line... Recently, while working on redesigning our online community platform, my excitement got the better of me. I dove headfirst into prototyping a few things in the backend system. "How hard could it be, right?" (Keep this line in mind throughout the rest of the email.) Sure, I know a thing or two about programming, and if everything else fails, there's always AI to help out, right? Well, the honest conclusion a few days later, when we brought in a true expert developer, was that I had no clue what I was doing. Before the developer could implement the updates properly, we had to undo all the changes I had made. So we lost time, not once, but twice. The silly thing is, this seems to be a habit I can't shake. And I see it a lot around me as well: saying yes to challenges that are better left to experts. Of course, there are many situations where being confident and experimental gets things done. Instead of waiting and debating, we build a prototype and iterate from there. Frankly, this approach is encouraged and celebrated in our design process. But... there's a major pitfall. In the story above, the cost of my "how hard can it be?" approach was lost time. That's unfortunate but not something that will cause any major, long-term damage. Now, imagine working in a context where the stakes are much higher. Where you're intervening in people's lives. Where your solutions impact the well-being of communities. Where your approach has the potential to reduce—or increase—systemic inequalities. KA McKercher, our guest in this episode, argues that in those scenarios, we can't just rush in and take on every project that comes our way. Because when we do, and we go in with a beginner's mindset, chances are high that we might end up causing actual harm to the people who need help the most. In those situations, losing time on a project is the least of your worries. There are clearly much bigger stakes at play. So the tough question becomes: How do we know which challenges are a good fit for our skillset and which ones should we say no to? Especially when we want to do good and contribute to a positive outcome in those high-stakes challenges. Having the self-awareness to know you limits and limitations is a sign of maturity and professionalism. If you care about growing your self-awareness, this is a conversation you don't want to miss. --- [ 1. GUIDE ] --- 00:00 Welcome to Episode 220 04:00 Good intentions are not enough 06:30 Why this matters 09:00 Lived experience aligning to design 12:30 What's good enough? 14:30 What is co-facilitation 16:30 Emotional curiosity 20:30 Being conscious of the water 27:00 What to do 30:30 Is it a yes or no? 35:00 Intentions 38:30 What's within the scope 41:00 Material based practices 45:30 Impostor syndrome 48:30 Reviews on the article 50:00 Hoping the conversation evolves 52:00 When it's out of your scope 54:30 When to step away 58:00 Question to ponder --- [ 2. LINKS ] --- https://www.linkedin.com/in/ka-mckercher Ethical Curiosity with Trans and Non-Binary Clients by Lucie Fielding (book) www.BeyondStickyNotes.com --- [ 3. CIRCLE ] --- Join our private community for in-house service design professionals. ⁠https://servicedesignshow.com/circle…

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How to Use Your Dreams to Design Services / Courtney Morgan / Ep. #219 1:07:13

9 weeks тому1:07:13

1:07:13

You've never heard this on the Show before... I'm referring to a design tool that most people disregard, even laugh about when they first hear about it. They say it's childish, something you can't take seriously in a professional context. But as you'll hear in today's conversation, this tool holds immense power. Not only that, it helps you better align with your true self and what you truly want to contribute to the world. And the best thing? You already have this tool in your possession. We all do. So, what is this magical tool? It's your dreams. Now, I know what you're thinking. Dreams, really?! But hear me out, it's actually not that crazy. Why do we always talk about design thinking and design doing, and not about design dreaming? If anything, I'd argue that the times we live in demand we dream more to envision a better future. Our amazing guest, Courtney Morgan, helps us tap into the power of our dreams. She shares practical examples of the power of collective dreaming. We address the misconceptions around dreaming and discuss how to get people to tap into and share their dreams in a design process. You'll notice that the conversation doesn't begin with dreams, but we naturally gravitate in that direction and fall down the rabbit hole. So, if you want to go beyond the usual design tools and methods and tap into something truly transformative... make sure you don't miss this episode. A simple practice to become more aware of your dreams is to start writing them down. This is what I've incorporated into my morning routine. Very curious to see what effects this will have in a few months. Enjoy and keep making a positive impact. ~ Marc --- [ 1. GUIDE ] --- 00:00 Welcome to episode 219 03:30 Defining "one percent" 05:00 Focus of the 1% 13:00 Non-profit & community 13:50 Importance of lived experiences in work 17:00 Building trust first 18:30 What happens with lack of trust 21:30 Designer vs Community member role 24:00 A "World Creator" role 26:30 5 years ago vs today 30:30 What is efficiency? 33:00 What does good look like 34:30 Patience and her son 36:30 The role of dreaming 39:00 Courtney's dream 41:00 How we can become better dreamers 43:30 Prejudice against collective dreaming 47:30 Unsurppressing dreams 54:00 Advice she wished someone told her 59:30 Question to ponder --- [ 2. LINKS ] --- https://www.linkedin.com/in/courtney-morgan-associate-aia-noma ⁠https://www.thescrd.com/ --- [ 3. CIRCLE ] --- Join our private community for in-house service design professionals. ⁠https://servicedesignshow.com/circle…

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Key Lessons from a Service Design Community / #Circle Special 1:06:36

10 weeks тому1:06:36

1:06:36

This one is a bit different... Not the usual interview that you're used to. In this episode, you'll actually hear me answering the questions. Why? Well, it's become a bit of a tradition to start the year by reflecting on the lessons learned while building the Circle community. The Circle started 3.5 years ago as an idea to see what would happen if we created a safe space for in-house service design professionals to connect and share regularly. Today, it's grown to a healthy size with members from companies across the globe and in almost any industry you can imagine — from big tech to church organizations (I kid you not!). Service design professionals are everywhere these days. I'm very grateful for where the community is today, but it certainly hasn't been a straight line up. Designing a service (which is essentially what our community is) for service designers is quite hard, who would have thought? ;) So, for this episode, I sat down with Ru Butler who's one of our Circle Council members to discuss the biggest wins, challenges, and ambitions for the coming year. Even if you're not working in-house, I think you'll still enjoy this behind-the-scenes look at how we're thinking about and trying to design our community. I'd love to hear what you think of this episode format. Would you like to hear it more often? How could we make it better? Any other feedback is welcome, too. Send me a message or reach out on LinkedIn. Happy 2025 and take care, Marc --- [ 1. GUIDE ] --- 00:00 The Circle 2024 Special episode 03:00 Who is Ru 04:30 What stood out last year 09:30 Marc's key motivations 13:00 Ru's Circle Highlights: 1-on-1s 17:30 Benefits of 1-on-1s: accountability 19:00 Leading the Circle community 24:30 Favorite sessios in 2024 31:00 The community's growth 37:00 The importance of community 43:00 2025 Vision and The Loop 46:00 The follow-through 48:30 Seasons for the Circle 2025 54:00 2025 Goals 58:00 For the Self-Doubting Designers --- [ 2. LINKS ] --- https://www.linkedin.com/in/rubutler https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcfonteijn Advancing Service Design Talk: Increase your confidence, influence, and impact --- [ 3. CIRCLE ] --- Join our private community for in-house service design professionals. ⁠https://servicedesignshow.com/circle…

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Journey Management in 2025: Trends, Challenges, and Predictions / Jochem van der Veer / Ep. #218 1:09:02

11 weeks тому1:09:02

1:09:02

First of all, I want to wish you a very happy 2025. We're starting the new year with a bang. Journey Management has been a hot topic for the last two years, and for good reason. The shift from mapping to management might seem small, but it's a major change in how we and our clients approach things. If you've been following the Show for a while, you know we are keeping up with these developments as they unfold. So, I thought it would be great to invite a good friend and long-time partner of the Show, Jochem van der Veer, back to kick 2025 off with some predictions. As CEO of TheyDo, Jochem is building one of the most innovative companies in this space. So I think it's fair to say that he has a front-row seat to how companies are adopting (or not) Journey Management. In this conversation, we discuss how journey management has evolved, the challenges of scaling it, which organizations are succeeding, and what's next (including AI's influence). Oh, and we announce a new conference... Join us for a great episode that's going to give you a head start on your Journey Management journey this year. What are YOUR predictions for this year? Leave a comment on YouTube (or Spotify). It'll be fun to revisit them next year 🙂 Enjoy the conversation, and once again Happy 2025! Take care, ~ Marc --- [ 1. GUIDE ] --- 00:00 Welcome to episode 218 05:00 Looking back at the previous episode 06:45 Market shifts 09:00 Churn discussion 13:45 What's changed in TheyDo 15:45 Unexpected design challenges 19:30 Journey Management cornerstones 21:00 Automating everything 25:00 Jochem's Journey Management view 29:00 Journey as a tool 33:15 Cross-Functional challenges 36:00 Prioritization rituals 39:30 Customer alignment 45:00 Team adoption patterns 48:30 Specific problem solving 50:00 Industry roadblock 53:30 2026 hopes 54:30 Upcoming Conference 1:02:00 Jochem's 2025 outlook 1:03:00 Chat interface 1:07:00 Question to ponder --- [ 2. LINKS ] --- https://www.linkedin.com/in/jochemvanderveer/ https://www.theydo.com/beyond-the-map --- [ 3. CIRCLE ] --- Join our private community for in-house service design professionals. ⁠https://servicedesignshow.com/circle…

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Stop designing WITH your users! There is a better way. / Sloan Leo Cowan / Ep. #217 1:00:36

13 weeks тому1:00:36

1:00:36

There's a problem with the current design process that often goes unnoticed... A problem that can lead to less-than-ideal outcomes or, even worse, harm certain communities. To understand this, we must acknowledge our huge responsibility as design professionals. We're often the only ones advocating for our users' needs, the voice of those who aren't in the room. It's a privilege we shouldn't take lightly. We make decisions, and judgment calls for the people we're designing for. Of course, we do our best with the best intentions, but we always will fall short. Why? Because we aren't the users. We don't live their lives or experience their struggles. Sure, let there be no doubt: having someone advocate for users is a good start, but it's not enough. We can do better; we must do better. Our guest, Sloan Leo Cowan, helps us see what "better" looks like. The key is to move away from "designing for" or even "designing with" users and move towards "designing by" them. It means giving up control and power. Sound impossible? Sloan Leo shares practical examples of how they've achieved this in their work. This episode will show you a way forward if you care about creating more inclusive and equitable work. Stop designing WITH your users! There is a better way. As you'll hear, Sloan Leo's perspective on design challenges the status quo. We really need this to push the boundaries of design and ensure it stays relevant. Keep making a positive impact! Take care, ~ Marc --- [ 1. GUIDE ] --- 00:00 Welcome to Episode 217 04:00 Sloan's social sector journey 08:15 Defining Community? 10:15 Service design "habits" (issues) 12:45 Neutrality in Interpretation 15:15 Facilitator vs. Interpreter Roles 18:45 Facilitating towards beliefs 19:30 Power Dynamics in Facilitation 21:15 Binary thinking in service design 26:45 Issue: Persona Development & Gender 31:45 Origins of Community Design Issues 36:00 How to approach the large scale 38:15 Open source approach 40:30 The challenges for service designers 41:45 Benefits for Communities and Designers 43:45 Advice for Aspiring Designers 47:15 Recommended Resources 51:45 Proudest Achievements 54:15 Keys to Success 56:45 Additional Resources 57:30 Questions for Reflection --- [ 2. LINKS ] --- Pronouns they/he https://www.linkedin.com/in/sloanleo Website - floxstudio.com or sloanleo.com --- [ 3. CIRCLE ] --- Join our private community for in-house service design professionals. ⁠https://servicedesignshow.com/circle…

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The Secrets behind Research that Scales / Kate Towsey / Ep. #216 1:01:53

15 weeks тому1:01:53

1:01:53

There is no service design... Without high-quality research. Sure, we all know that. But doing good research is hard. Kate Towsey, often called the inventor of the ResearchOps field, can certainly attest to this. If you're a dedicated listener of the show, you might remember Kate from our conversation about a year ago where she shared that she was writing a book. Well, that book, titled "Research that Scales", has officially been published! And with a 4.9/5 rating on Amazon, it seems to have struck a chord with readers. Of course, we had to get Kate back on the show to discuss it. In this conversation we delve into topics like: Do we need to scale research, and if so why? What does "scale" actually mean in the context of research? When should you start thinking about scaling? What are the key steps to scaling research? What role can AI play in all of this? Will it take over our jobs? Why did it take Kate 3.5 years to publish the book? And as always, that's just the tip of the iceberg. It's hard to imagine a service design professional who wouldn't be interested in the topics we cover in this episode. Good research isn't just a nice-to-have; it's a must. Without giving away too many spoilers, I found it fascinating that it's not actually research that you need to (or can) scale, but something else. Something that we as a community are pretty good at. Can you guess what it is? Enjoy and keep making a positive impact! ~ Marc --- [ 1. GUIDE ] --- 00:00 Welcome to Episode 216 03:00 Quick overview about scaling research 04:00 Why she wrote the book 09:30 Pandemic's impact on the book 13:00 Research rabbit hole 15:00 Unscalable Research: What to Avoid 18:30 What is enough research? 22:00 The problem she saw 25:00 The main bottlenecks 27:45 Libriarian's role in making the change 31:00 How the process work 33:00 Knowledge as a network vs tree 35:30 Maximizing efficient use of library 39:00 Designing the system 41:00 Knowledge vs. Learning: Value Proposition 43:00 Cost center vs value center 47:00 AI and Research: A Synergistic Future 49:00 Cost of scaling: A Trade-off 51:00 Strategic approach to scaling 53:00 How to know when to scale 54:30 Her readers insights 56:00 Upcoming masterclasses 58:00 Resources 58:30 Food for thought --- [ 2. LINKS ] --- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katetowsey/ Website: https://katetowsey.com/ Substack: https://katetowsey.substack.com --- [ 3. CIRCLE ] --- Join our private community for in-house service design professionals. ⁠https://servicedesignshow.com/circle…

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The RIGHT way to do strategy in an uncertain world? / Peter Compo / Ep. #215 1:13:29

17 weeks тому1:13:29

1:13:29

What is strategy... A plan for how you intend to achieve your goals? That's how a lot of people define strategy. But there's a problem with this rigid approach... As Mike Tyson wisely said once: " Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face. " Most strategies are too prescriptive about how the goal needs to be achieved. But we live in a VUCA world where it's getting harder and harder to predict what will happen, even just weeks ahead. The sphere of what an organization can control is shrinking (and control is an illusion anyway). What seemed like a wise action last week might be irrelevant today, thanks to new technology, a sudden global crisis, or a certain election outcome... Following your strategy in this scenario might mean you're executing what you agreed to, but it could very well lead you away from your intended goal. So, when there is so little we can control and predict, does that mean we shouldn't do any strategizing at all? Certainly not. We just need to adopt a more emergent approach. We still need a plan to align everyone, but one that allows for more flexibility and deciding in the moment what the right next step is. What does this type of strategy look like, and how do we get there? That's something Peter Compo has written a great book about, and I've invited him on the Show to share his learnings with us. We talk about: Why research is becoming an increasingly important capability for any organization. How we can know we'll achieve our goals if we don't know at the start which actions to take. And how to help an organization used to control and prediction embrace uncertainty and flexibility. I know this episode will resonate with many service design professionals. It ties strongly to our mantra of "doing the right things" and not just focusing on "doing things right." Strategy can be a very abstract term without much substance. But what I appreciated in our conversation is that Peter makes things super practical. It's time to roll up your sleeves and get to work on your strategy. Enjoy and keep making a positive impact. ~ Marc --- [ 1. GUIDE ] --- 00:00 Welcome to Episode 215 03:30 Music and emergence 06:00 How he got into writing the book 10:30 Pete's perspective in strategy 16:00 The theory of emergence 20:00 constraints & trust 26:30 Bridging the gap of uncertainty 30:30 Letting Go of Control 36:30 Examples of good metrics 41:00 False learning organization 46:30 Trusting your team 50:30 Aspiration-bottleneck triad 57:00 another recommendation 59:00 Strategy matrix 01:04:00 Personal Impact on writing 01:09:00 Resources 1:11:00 Question to ponder --- [ 2. LINKS ] --- https://www.linkedin.com/in/petercompo/ The Emergent Approach to Strategy (book) by Peter Compo - www.emergentapproach.com Peter Compo Music - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJsn2zbnx8dwvHJrisdkAtg --- [ 3. CIRCLE ] --- Join our private community for in-house service design professionals. ⁠https://servicedesignshow.com/circle…

Service Design Show

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Advancing Service Design 2024 / Program Deep Dive with Sylvie Abookire 33:21

18 weeks тому33:21

33:21

An exciting new conference is just around the corner, Advancing Service Design 2024. We recently had a chat with Lou Rosenfeld, the conference organizer, about key ideas behind the conference. Now, we're doing a deep dive into the two-day conference program with Sylvie Abookire, who's part of the curation team. In this episode, you'll hear about the main themes, the inspiring (and somewhat surprising) speakers, and of course how it all ties together to advance our field. Sure, you can also get some of this info on the conference website, but I promise this conversation is much more fun 🙂 I'll be presenting at the conference about the latest insights from the Salary Report and lessons learned from building the Circle community. Want to join one of my sessions? Send me an email or reach out on LinkedIn, and I'll let you know how you can attend even without a conference ticket. ~ ~ ~ 🎟️ Want to attend Advancing Service Design? Well, you're in luck! 💰 Answer the simple question over here at ⁠https://www.servicedesignshow.com/asdc2024-survey⁠ to get a 10% discount on your ticket. But that's not all! 🏆 When you sign up using this code, you'll automatically enter a contest where you can win sweet prizes. --- [ 1. GUIDE ] --- 00:00 A Special Episode with Sylvie 02:45 Sylvie's role in the conference 04:30 Conference schedule & format 06:00 Biggest conference challenge 07:30 The final 8 speakers 10:00 What the conference means to Sylvie 12:00 Day 1: Designing in the system 14:30 Day 1: format 16:00 Day 1: The panel 17:00 Audience interaction 19:00 Day 2: Designing with the system 22:30 How we hope the conference impacts 24:00 Sylvie's workshops after the conference 27:00 The most fun part of the conference 28:00 Key Takeaways 28:00 Visibility & Impact 32:00 Conference Details & Tickets 32:30 Giveaway --- [ 2. LINKS ] --- https://www.linkedin.com/in/sylvieabookire/ Get your tickets here - https://rosenfeldmedia.com/advancing-service-design/ --- [ 3. CIRCLE ] --- Grow your confidence, influence, and impact! Join the community for in-house service design professionals. ⁠https://servicedesignshow.com/circle…

Service Design Show

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Why People Aren't Listening to You - And How to Fix That / Gabrielle Dolan / Ep. #214 1:00:45

19 weeks тому1:00:45

1:00:45

I remember being subscribed to this email newsletter from a guy named Josh, all about email marketing (kind of meta)... Every single day, a new email from Josh would pop up in my inbox, and I'd open it right away. These emails were different, a bit weird even, but in the best way possible. Each one would start with something that felt totally random, a story about something Josh experienced. No mention of email marketing whatsoever. But every time I was hooked. I just had to know how the story ended. And then, bam, right at the end, with just two or three lines he'd tie it all back to email marketing in a way that just clicked. Those emails weren't just informative; they were actually enjoyable, to the point that I looked forward to them. Now being able to hold someone's attention like that always seemed like a magic superpower to me... but I learned that it's not. In this episode, Gabrielle Dolan, who's been teaching the craft of storytelling for over 20 years, reveals how you can grow your storytelling skills and use them to communicate your message in a way that stick and, most of all inspires action. And as service design professionals, we know that getting people to take action is critical for change but also very challenging. So whether you consider yourself a natural storyteller or not, this episode is packed with practical wisdom you won't want to miss. Josh, by the way, stopped sending his daily emails a while ago, but as you've noticed his lessons have stuck with me. Enjoy the episode and keep making a positive impact! Take care, ~ Marc --- [ 1. GUIDE ] --- 00:00 Welcome to Episode 214 03:30 Power of stories 06:00 Why stories make communication better 08:00 Dealing with skepticism 13:00 Why Organizations seek facts over stories 14:30 Story-Resistant Culture 18:00 Practical tips in becoming better storytellers 23:00 Finding your stories 24:00 Using spreadsheets 28:00 How to be comfortable using them 31:30 How to see if it's working (Tracking progress 34:00 Indicators of Success 37:00 Potential of backfiring 39:00 Gauging level of emotion 42:00 Advise from Ral 44:00 How Ral's storytelling evolved 45:30 How to use AI in storytelling 48:30 Storytelling vs acting 49:30 What's next in her storytelling journey 51:30 What kept her going 52:30 Resources 55:30 Question to ponder --- [ 2. LINKS ] --- https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabrielledolan/ https://gabrielledolan.com/ Magnetic Stories by Gabrielle Dolan (Book) - https://a.co/d/aA780d8 --- [ 3. CIRCLE ] --- Join our private community for in-house service design professionals. ⁠https://servicedesignshow.com/circle…

Service Design Show

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What's this new SD conference all about!? / Advancing Service Design Conference 2024 (Part 1) with Lou Rosenfeld 34:57

20 weeks тому34:57

34:57

I'm excited... There's a brand new conference just around the corner – Advancing Service Design – and it's organized by none other than Rosenfeld Media, the publisher behind some of the most iconic books in our field. Now you might be thinking... another conference? But trust me, this one is different. That's why I invited Lou Rosenfeld himself onto the Show to give us the inside scoop. In this episode, you'll learn: * Why Lou decided to launch a brand new conference. * Who is Advancing Service Design for? And what makes the conference different. So if you're curious about what all the excitement is about, make sure to tune in to this conversation. And as you can guess by the title there will be a part 2 where we'll dive deep into the full conference lineup and speakers. --- Want to attend Advancing Service Design? Well, you're in luck! Answer the simple question over here https://www.servicedesignshow.com/asdc2024-survey to get a 10% discount on your ticket. But that's not all! When you sign up using the provided code, you'll automatically enter a contest where you can win sweet prizes. --- [ 1. GUIDE ] --- 00:00 Welcome to a Special Episode 01:30 Q&A with Lou 03:30 Long-Awaited Service Design Conference 06:00 Why Service Design Now? 08:45 Conference Program 12:00 Target Audience 14:00 Conference Success Secrets 19:00 Benefit in Time, Support, and Labor prep 20:00 Why Ben Reason and Patrick Quattlebaum 23:00 Speaker Insights 26:00 Speaker highlights 30:00 What to expect 33:00 What Lou looks forward to 36:30 How to get tickets 39:15 Topics to stay tuned to --- [ 2. LINKS ] --- Get your Advancing Service Design tickets here: https://rosenfeldmedia.com/advancing-service-design/ --- [ 3. CIRCLE ] --- Join our private community for in-house service design professionals. ⁠https://servicedesignshow.com/circle…

Service Design Show

1
Confessions of a Journey Management Pioneer / Florian Vollmer / Ep. #213 1:02:31

21 weeks тому1:02:31

1:02:31

Sure, everyone's talking about Journey Management, but few are actually doing it well... It's one thing to map out customer journeys, but quite another to truly manage them. The frameworks and models look great on paper, but reality is often far messier. Most organizations struggle to get a handle on even one journey, let alone a dozen! So I'm excited that Florian Vollmer, a true pioneer in this field, returns to the Service Design Show to share his hard-won wisdom. You might remember him from his previous appearance on the Show where he talked about managing 100+ journeys at NCR. What's fascinating is that Florian got a rare opportunity when starting his new role at Autodesk – a chance to rebuild a Journey Management practice from the ground up, applying all the lessons from his previous experience. This is your classic "I wish I knew everything I know now at the start of this project. It would have been completed twice as fast and at half the cost."This time, we dive deep into the nitty-gritty of Journey Management, tackling tough questions like: Who really owns the journey? Are dedicated tools essential or just a distraction? Why getting granular at the touchpoint level is essential? What are the biggest challenges to launching Journey Management inside an organization? And the million-dollar question: how do you get buy-in and funding when you're just starting out? So if you're already knee-deep in Journey Management or just starting to explore it, I'm sure you'll appreciate Florian's honest perspective from the trenches. One of my biggest takeaways from this conversation was that, as Florian explains in detail, this is really hard work. So you have to have patience and be kind to yourself. Amen to that! Enjoy the conversation and keep making a positive impact. Take care, ~ Marc --- [ 1. GUIDE ] --- 00:00 Welcome to Episode 213 04:00 Looking back EP 168 05:15 Who is Florian 07:00 What is Journey Management 08:30 the momentum of journey management right now 13:00 How to manage customers 17:00 Balancing context switching 21:00 Evolving Role Perceptions 23:30 good quality vs great quality 26:00 Organic conversations vs Priorities 35:30 Who owns the journey? 39:30 Building momentum for change 42:30 Biggest key lessons 46:00 Journey management vs collaborations 48:30 Understanding journey management 55:15 Stay tuned for another episode with Florian 56:30 Resources --- [ 2. LINKS ] --- https://www.linkedin.com/in/florianvollmer/ Journey Management Alliance https://journeymanagement.substack.com --- [ 3. CIRCLE ] --- Join our private community for in-house service design professionals. ⁠https://servicedesignshow.com/circle…

Service Design Show

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A New Approach to Measuring Design's Impact / Stacey Barr / Ep. #212 1:09:57

23 weeks тому1:09:57