The what, how and who of social service design (original) (raw)

Designing for Social Infrastructures in Complex Service Systems: A Human-Centered and Social Systems Perspective on Service Design

She Ji: The Journal of Design, Economics, and Innovation, 2017

Service design is one of the keys to improving how we target today's complex societal problems. The predominant view of service systems is mechanistic and linear. A service infrastructure-which includes solutions like service blueprints, scripts, and protocols-is, in some ways, designed to control the behavior of service professionals at the service interface. This view undermines the intrinsic motivation, expertise, and creativity of service professionals. This article presents a different perspective on service design. Using theories of social systems and complex responsive processes, I define service organizations as ongoing iterated patterns of relationships between people, and identify them as complex social service systems. I go on to show how the human-centeredness of design practices contributes to designing for such service systems. In particular, I show how a deep understanding of the needs and aspirations of service professionals through phenomenological themes contributes to designing for social infrastructures that support continuous improvement and adaptation of the practices executed by service professionals at the service interface.

Social Design for Services Framework

Conference Proceedings of the Academy for Design Innovation Management

This paper addresses the fields of social and service design in development contexts, practice-based and constructive design research. A framework for social design for services will be explored through the survey of existing literature, specifically by drawing on eight doctoral theses that were produced by the World Design research group. The work of World Design researcher-designers was guided by a strong ethos of social and service design for development in marginalised communities. The paper also draws on a case study in Namibia and South Africa titled ‘My Dream World’. This case study presents a good example of how the social design for services framework functions in practice during experimentation and research in the field. The social design for services framework transfers the World Design group’s research results into practical action, providing a tool for the facilitation of design and research processes for sustainable development in marginal contexts.

SERVICE DESIGN FOR SOCIAL INNOVATION: CREATING SERVICES FROM SOCIAL INNOVATION CASES

The transition from the industrial society to the service era broadens the scope of the designer's action. This article intends to identify the service design for social innovation as a service design specialty that creates services based on the relationships among social actors, their culture and local know-how, being in accordance with the community's reality where they are provided.

Designing social infrastructures for complex service systems

Services delivered through the public and social sector play an important role in addressing complex societal problems. Services consist of interfaces between service consumer and deliverer, and infrastructures that support the service deliverer. Infrastructures such as protocols, scripts and blueprints are often intended to control the behaviour of service delivers. This is a linear top-down view of service organisations. This paper presents a different perspective, using Stacey's theory of complex responsive processes: service organisations are ongoing iterated patterns of relationships between human beings. Infrastructures for complex service systems can therefore be considered 'social infrastructures'. Two case studies are presented that each describe the design of a successful social infrastructure, in the education and health sector respectively. To analyse the human-centred design practice of these case studies the author introduces the NADI-model, which identifies different levels of depth in needs and aspirations of stakeholders. The deepest level of this model consists of phenomenological 'themes'. The model is used to show how themes explain the success of the social infrastructure in the first case study. The second case study subsequently shows how, using Dorst's frame creation methodology, themes support designing social infrastructures for complex service systems.

Social Design for Service. Building a Framework for Designers Working in the Development Context

The Design Journal

There is an evident need to shift from focusing merely on designers' tasks and methods towards taking a more holistic approach to socially responsible design. In order to do this, this paper looks firstly in retrospect at the global design research work done by the World Design Research Group and secondly examines an ongoing research project in the development context. In both cases, the connections and differences between social design and service design are highlighted. As a concrete outcome this paper proposes a framework that can be applied to the development context. In other words, in design cases where the aim is to collaborate, share knowledge and experiences as well as co-design change in a multinational group. The framework itself gives designers an understanding of how to both navigate in the development field and work for improving the livelihoods of communities.

From Social Design to Design for Social Innovation

2018

Design has a long tradition of relation with the social. A recent British report classified social design into social entrepreneurship, socially responsible design, and design activism [1]. Social design has gained momentum in design research during the last ten years, a development which can be seen as having several roots. Some of these roots go back a few decades, to the writings of Papanek [2] in 1984, while others are of newer origin, as for instance in the area of service design that intersects with public sector innovation and the emergence of new societal challenges.

Beyond service design: understanding complex challenges on a systemic level

Conference Proceedings , 2023

Traditional user-centred design methodologies are no longer adequate for addressing the new way of thinking required by today's global challenges, considering the systemic complexity that service design has now reached. This paper addresses how a systemic approach can support service design practices to understand, map and represent complex challenges such as rural fires. The research methods include a systemic design approach that provides an in-depth view of the system and the institutional structure by identifying the actors and their relationships and unpacking the current issues. Moreover, this paper identifies intervention areas and suggests recommendations: more involvement and collaboration between the different actors and the fire prevention system can prevent and mitigate the risks of rural fires more efficiently. The study indicates that service design can benefit from a systemic approach by investigating the actors, roles, and interdependencies and identifying challenges and strategic intervention areas in complex systems.

Design for Social Innovation: Building a Framework of Connection Between Design and Social Innovation

2014

The paper discusses the connections between social innovation and design practice/research outlining possible challenges for innovating in the service field. Social Innovation is one of the most promising frameworks for delivering service innovation that is receiving increasing attention from governments, academy, and businesses alike. Design is described as a privileged path to innovation, because it can establish a link with creativity and outline more efficient processes. The paper aims to provide a platform for discussion and learning that can ground a connection between the two topics. Moreover, it offers a critique of what has been achieved while highlighting the main questions for future development.