The Service Innovation Handbook

The book builds a powerful philosophy for understanding what is unique about service innovation. Kimbell writes lucidly about important perspectives that will significantly mature the practice of research-based service design. - Dr Cameron Tonkinwise, Associate Professor, School of Design, Carnegie Mellon University on amazon.com For some time now, there has been a need for a reliable book about the basics of service design and strategic thinking in design: a need from within business courses and design courses as well as within the worlds of business and design. Based on Lucy Kimbell's long experience of high-level teaching and thinking about these areas, this book helps to fill the gap. The book is also timely - with the rapidly growing interest in service design among educators and professional practitioners. - Professor Sir Christopher Frayling, Former Rector, Royal College of Art, London, and former Chairman of the Design Council Up until now, designers have justifiably bypassed much academic design research, arguing that it offered little to no value in applied design practice. Lucy Kimbell's new book will put a quick end to that argument. Kimbell demonstrates that thinking about design is still as important as doing design. She provides a simple framework for integrating design concepts with usercentred inquiry. She also provides an explication of the divide between individualistic, psychological study, and the collectivist and contextual, socio-cultural study - a much-needed remedy to the spate of ill-advised a/b testing rife in contemporary design organizations. Service designers will find plenty of real-life, practical examples, woven in between ways of thinking about service design. It is here that she breathes life into theory - and in so doing, sweeps away any designer's excuse of not reading theoretical design research. - Sam Ladner, phd Senior Researcher, Microsoft Office. Author of Practical Ethnography: A Guide to Doing Ethnography in The Private Sector The Service Innovation Handbook is an essential read for managers in firms that used to have a product focus and that are trying to shift towards designing services and experiences. By covering the early stages of the innovation process, it guides readers through developing new knowledge, creating service concepts and prototyping experiences. It's valuable not only for service innovation and design practitioners but also visionary business leaders who understand that creating distinctive customer experiences is the future of innovation. - Sunghan Kim Head of Service UX Group, Media Solution Centre, Samsung Electronics There are few books that span the realms of service design, service operations and service experience in such a practical and engaging way. Lucy's insights into these topics will help you create great service experiences for your customers. - Professor Andy Neely Director, Cambridge Service Alliance