The Service Innovation Handbook

This is an action-oriented book for managers and entrepreneurs searching ways to tackle issues they face in terms of developing and delivering services. The book focuses on service organizations, but has a broad interpretation of what services are.

Directed to the business world and combines inspirational text that is full of examples, with the features of a useful handbook of practical methods with associated templates.

The central argument is that managers and entrepreneurs designing service offerings will benefit from using approaches and methods from design and the arts, especially at the early stages of projects. Sometimes called design thinking or design innovation , such approaches help organizations explore and create new configurations of people and things that support users, customers, staff and partners in creating value together.

In short, this book argues that design and arts-based approaches are valuable to managers and entrepreneurs designing services, when uncertainty and ambiguity are high. It shows when and how to use these approaches, introduces specific methods, reviews their strengths and limitations, and finally helps managers think through what it takes to start using them in projects and within teams and develop the culture and behaviours that access the creativity they support.

“"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”

"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

Lucy Kimbell is Associate Fellow, Said Business School, University of Oxford, where she has been teaching strategic design and design thinking to MBAs since 2005. She also is a principal research fellow at Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts, London where she is developing an MBA.As an academic researcher Lucy has published more than 25 journal articles, book chapters and essays on design thinking and service design. For many years, Lucy has taught design students at leading schools such as the Royal College of Art and Parsons The New School for Design. Her artwork has been exhibited internationally including at TED Global. Lucy has consulted for firms including Deutsche Bank, Vodafone, the BBC and numerous social enterprises through her work as fellow at The Young Foundation. Lucy originally studied Engineering Design and Appropriate Technology, and she has an MA Computing in Art and Design. Her PhD explores intersections between design and the social sciences.

This is an action-oriented book for managers and entrepreneurs searching ways to tackle issues they face in terms of developing and delivering services. The book focuses on service organizations, but has a broad interpretation of what services are. Directed to the business world and combines inspirational text that is full of examples, with the features of a useful handbook of practical methods with associated templates.The central argument is that managers and entrepreneurs designing service offerings will benefit from using approaches and methods from design and the arts, especially at the early stages of projects. Sometimes called design thinking or design innovation , such approaches help organizations explore and create new configurations of people and things that support users, customers, staff and partners in creating value together.In short, this book argues that design and arts-based approaches are valuable to managers and entrepreneurs designing services, when uncertainty and ambiguity are high. It shows when and how to use these approaches, introduces specific methods, reviews their strengths and limitations, and finally helps managers think through what it takes to start using them in projects and within teams and develop the culture and behaviours that access the creativity they support.

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