The attendance validates that the virtual buzz about service design carries over to the analog world.  User experience professionals wondering, “What is this new shiny object?” My presentation only scratched the surface of the potential impact the service design field can have on typical experience design work. I’m eager to continue the conversation with a focus on these aspects:

• What are effective service design methods and approaches?
• What does it really mean to “do” service design?
• Who should own service design?
• Given SD is still predominantly an academic endeavor, who is most equipped to be “practicing” it?
• How can practitioners effectively evangelize SD in organizations?
• SD is still aspirational for many, so when it’s time to put those methods into practice, how can you prevent it from failing before it begins?

These are among the topics I’ll be exploring in upcoming months, so please follow and contribute to the conversations:

• http://www.twitter.com/ServiceDesignLK
• UXMatters
• http://www.linkedin.com/pub/laura-keller/3/728/b6a
• http://www.servicexd.com/wordpress/

I learned as part of being acquired by Walgreen’s, Duane Reade introduced a flexible vaccination service, allowing customers to get a flu shot any hours that the pharmacy is open (albeit not well advertised). Some large survey by a market research company probably told them that 87% of customers don’t get flu shots because of inconvenient timing.

But who cares why they are doing it! This is great, or so I thought, until I started this seemingly ideal patient experience process.

I returned the next morning and the pharmacist said, “I’ll meet you over there.” I had no idea where there was, so I waited while she gathered the necessary clinical materials (gloves, needle disposal bin, etc.) from multiple locations and carried everything to a table with 2 chairs outside the entrance to the employees-only pharmacy area and placed everything down in a pile. Picture Rachel Ray carrying ingredients in her studio… except this is someone’s health, not chimichangas.  

Would you get your flu shot here?

I mentioned to her that it was great that she was offering flu shots at any time.  “Yep, we all had to get trained,” she said. I proceeded, “But it’s sorta a pain for you, I mean you have to stop what you’re doing to do this?” She replied,  “Yeah, it can be….”

The flu shot was painless, pharmacy staff was pleasant, and for me the overall experience was just fine. I’ll put aside:

• The original “we are backed up” issue (although many customers may not)….
• The poor advertising about the flexible service…
• The 7-min wait for ‘nurse-in-training’ pharmacist to prep…
• The confusion about where I should sit because of the counter divide between pharmacy staff and customer….
• The seemingly discombobulated setup that gave the impression this was their first time doing this….

Those are issues that can be solved – though not easily – with better customer communications and improved spatial design. But what about the pharmacists and employees at Duane Reade who need to literally stop the  work they are doing and the flow of their day for each and every flu shot customer? And if they don’t, they have more of those “15-minute backup issues” and potentially disappointed flu shot customers….

Or what about those non-flu Rx customers whose experience is disrupted by the flu shot processes – those patients who simply need to ask a question about their new Rx while the pharmacist is busy giving flu shots. Finally, what about these inefficiencies’ subsequent impact to DR’s bottom line? For every flu shot customer, assume 10 minutes of lost pharmacist work time.

This is a great example for why you can’t have blind focus on the customer, patient or any single group. Without considering the experience and change management for all people: pharmacists, pharmacy support, customers (both flu shot and not), Duane Reade may have started a tidal wave of good intentions that has ripple effects to the business that they didn’t see coming.

No doubt you are aware of programs that were elegant, motivating experiences for their target audiences and returned compelling business results. The question is how can you ensure that the work your agencies are doing for you will result in such experiences? Do you know what good looks like when you’re watching it develop? 

If you’re not even thinking to ask that question, then here’s

Tip #1: Ask it

After all, something about this headline intrigued you, right? Whatever industry you work in, you have the responsibility to question what it is your agencies are creating and why. And not just questions like, “Are you using the right treatment of the logo?” Rather bottom line questions like, “Will I ever see a quantifiable or qualifiable benefit of that $80,000 Flash video you suggested we put on our site?” or “That 55-e-mail communication stream…how will we know it is working for us?”

Some agencies are questioning themselves. Take David Berkowitz and his Inside the Marketer’s Studio blog where he recently ‘atoned’ for sins on behalf of marketers and agencies. Included among his confessions was, “We have killed ideas that were spot on in favor of pet projects that we wanted for our portfolios.” If you’re not lucky enough to be working with an agency that has developed this level of self-awareness and self-evaluation, I’ve provided some tried and true tips for ensuring your agency is gives you good design.

Tip #2: Own the Cross-channel Experience

The ultimate experience of your product or service is only as successful as it is seamlessly integrated across all touchpoints your audience might encounter. You may have a digital agency doing your website, a print agency doing your print materials, an IVR firm doing your call center…the people you’re interacting with don’t care about that. Whether they’re interacting with a mobile device, learning about a prescription medication, paying a bill or booking a flight, they are simply trying to use your product or service to accomplish a goal. And all of their individual interactions with your people and systems across all channels add up to the complete experience of your brand or business. That experience can break down in any single channel/touchpoint and spoil the whole experience. So regardless of any organizational drama over channel conflict, or behind the scenes in-fighting as you manage multiple vendors, someone (why not you?) needs to ensure that the overall experience is seamless and successful from your target audience’s perspective. 

Tip #3: Understand Your Audience….REALLY Understand Them

It will be difficult to do Tip #2 without doing this. No single research or insight gathering approach will give you a full picture of what you need to know about your audience. You may have a 100-page segmentation study that you paid $200K for and are wondering, “So how do I translate this into something actionable for my business?” The answer is to take that broad study and combine it with more targeted research and testing of specific hypothesis that hold promise of getting you to “good.” As David Berkowitz concedes, “[Agencies] have guessed at our target audience’s interests…rather than conducting research that could have provided real answers.” That research he’s talking about does not need to be terribly time-consuming nor expensive, yet it can significantly increase adoption rates, reduce rework and help prevent expensive missteps as you develop an engaging experience for your audience. 

Tip #4:  Make Sure the Customer has a Voice

Similar to Tip #3, someone from the agency’s Customer/User Experience group (research/usability analyst, information/interaction/experience architect, etc.) should be at any meeting involving discussion of the agency’s creative concepts or the desired experience of the design you are working on. If they’re not, explain that you want someone in the room who can be the objective voice of the customer (VOC). If only Creative is represented, you may fall victim to self-deceit or, as Berkowitz describes it, “Falling in love with ideas without considering what would provide value for our target audience.” While it is true that you can’t always rely on people to know what they will want or do at some future date under varying circumstances (how many people asked for an iPod before it existed?), you can construct tests that allow them to give you frank and actionable reactions to what you think they will want or do. And asking them can pay valuable dividends in loyalty and advocacy.

Tip #5: Get Educated

With new technologies and trends evolving every day, it can be difficult to filter through the collection of buzz words to understand where a smart investment lies (“Social Media?” “Web 2.0?” “You-Tube?” “Twitter?” “Web 3.0????”… WT$%^&!!!).  As Mr. Berkowitz confesses, “Agencies have hurried into the newest, most-buzzed-about social spaces without developing a strategy….we have imitated when we could have innovated.” The more educated you are on whatever it is you’re asking your agency to explore, the better you’ll be able to speak the same language, ask relevant questions, challenge assumptions, ensure your best interests are being considered, and, ultimately ensure that you’re getting value for your investment. If you spend just 1-2 hours a week scanning articles and becoming more knowledgeable, you’ll find almost immediate relevance to your business…you’ll also grow more relevant and personally competitive in your chosen profession.

Tip #6: Take Control of Measurement & Evaluation

Chances are agencies pitched you a fantastic program that was going to deliver amazing results based on how you’ve defined “good.” The program likely included some form of ongoing measurement to be conducted and analyzed by the agency. The problem is there’s an inherent bias when an agency measures the effectiveness of a program they create.  Similar to Tip #5, the more you and your business can dictate benchmarks for success to your agency and ensure they are tracking progress transparently to you, the more you can be assured that your program is genuinely fulfilling the value promised in the original pitch. You should insist on participation in the development of an objective measurement strategy that is relevant to the bottom line goals of your business. Ideally, the implementation of the strategy will include both data analysis and access to the raw data so you and/or a trusted consultative partner can dig more deeply into suggested conclusions as necessary. The key is not to measure for measurement’s sake, but to measure with the intent of taking purposeful action to drive the results by which “good” is being measured.

Tip #7: Exhibit Self-Awareness (and Appropriate Self-Lessness)

Unless you’re Apple or one of a few other culturally iconic brands, your product or service probably isn’t all that to your target audience. As much as you might desire it to be a central focus of their day, or as much as your agencies might want to feed your ego (and theirs) with promises that they can make it so, it is much more likely that your audience has more important things at the center of their lives than that new launch you’re working on. Perhaps the most important trait of an effective experience designer (and, I would argue, business or brand manager) is empathy. Put yourself in the shoes of your target audience. Take the time to figure out how they uniquely benefit from interacting with your brand, product or service. Only then can you create compelling experiences that provide value to them, and as a result, to you, and your business.

I’m sure these tips are easier communicated than accomplished, but I can assure you they work. If you’re serious about getting “good” from the work you and your agencies do every day, give these a try. You’ll get better results and save your agencies from having to make more embarrassing confessions.  

Astra Zeneca presents its Accoladez awards every year to brand teams and partners who produce work that provides the biggest breakthrough in how to communicate about a brand or to address a difficult brand challenge. It recognizes a key finding in market research as well as a unique methodology used to uncover a transformational insight regarding customer behavior.  Accoladez is highly coveted among the Brand teams and the competition is quite fierce.

Our Experience Design group recently won finalist status in the category of Commercial Insight for the Physician Experience Research Study we completed in early 2009.  Our work was recognized because it provided the basis and firsthand validation of what Primary Care and GI Specialists were looking for from the Digital channel, both from a preference and behavioral standpoint.

The study sought to understand how physicians use the digital space in the context of treating their patients. It included detailed 1:1 interviews with over 50 physicians in two cities – the highlight of the research was the “day in the life” diaries we asked physicians to complete to track their digital activities. The goal was to get at what physicians’ digital behaviors REALLY are versus what they claim they are in self-reported surveys or large-scale reports. We wanted to answer the “how” and “why” of physician behavior, not solely the “what.” The insights we gathered helped AZ stakeholders both in digital and traditional channels prioritize communications and tactics.

We think this recognition speaks volumes about the value of having a non-agency with no agenda to push for any particular marketing communications tactics doing this type of research. It frees the partnering vendor to call it as they see it and focus on creating value for the client.

Why did our unorthodox entry resonate with the judges? Because we were the only entrants who, instead of immediately diving into a design solution to answer the question, “What should be done to revitalize the Concourse?” considered the most appropriate approach to be the one we would apply to any experience design challenge – ask the audience.

The results of our research are on display at the museum. You can also see facsimiles of some of the deliverables by going to the case study on our website. What I’d like to share here are some of the things we found important when applying basic experience design research principles to this particular challenge.

1. Define success
Defining success for a public space redesign is a research goal, not a starting point.

The definitions of success for a street are less straightforward than many design challenges we face. Since any public space has hundreds or thousands of stakeholders who also use it, finding the definition of its success is a process, not a known goal. Our subject matter experts and highly invested stakeholders for the Concourse made for a diverse group:

            – Artists
            – Community activists
            – High school students
            – Urban Planner for the Bronx
            – Director of Education Policy for the Bronx
            – CEO of a housing and economic policy organization
            – Author and New York Times reporter
            – Professor and amateur rapper
            – Lifelong Bronx residents
            – Recently moved resident
            – Former resident
            – Non-residents

It is inevitable that a wide variety of stakeholders for any project will generate a wide variety of responses to the question, “How would you define success for this initiative?” This means that the first objective of experience research on a public place, where different types of stakeholders exist, is to develop that definition of success. (See 4: “Understand audience goals”)

2. Identify your audience

Identifying your audience requires identifying the multiple uses of the space.
Residents aren’t the only users of a street like the Grand Concourse – professionals, students, visitors, drivers, sanitation workers, unemployed people, retirees, and people who come to access services (e.g. a hospital) also experience it regularly. Depending on where certain destinations are located, the population may be different: a university area draws people from near and far, a supermarket draws local residents, a hospital draws a mix of visitors and locals. But these destinations are not isolated locations –  the roadway connects them to transportation hubs as well as each other. So, identifying audiences for a public roadway must take into account the multiple uses of the space for each audience profile.

3.  Identify the context of use

Many audience profiles + many uses of space = many contexts for experiences.
The diverse population on a street does not complicate user research as much as it may seem. It simply means that recommendations for improvements of a public space must be based on a variety of contexts of use. Context is determined by the services and destinations near a location, as well as the day, time, and the needs of people accessing them. For example, on a Saturday afternoon, Jocye Kilmer park along the Grand Concourse in the Bronx is a safe place for kids to throw around a baseball or hold little league games. During rush hours, hundreds of commuters walk through the park from their homes along the Grand Concourse to the subway station on the other side. On weekday evenings a local artist gives tours of the Tree Museum that begins there. On Yankee game days fans cut through the park as a shortcut between their parking places and the nearby stadium. And every day, the man whose apartment on the Concourse looks out on the park admires (or laments) its aesthetic value.
 
4. Understand audience goals

Public space is not only for individual experiences.
In outdoor public spaces like parks and roadways, people with different purposes and aspirations affect each other’s experiences. When looking at public space, we have to pay equal attention to people for whom a park is a destination and those for whom it is a way to get elsewhere. The tourists coming to see the Tree Museum may prefer a calm, quiet environment. The rowdy Yankee fans disrupt the quiet of the Tree Museum tour on their way to the game. And the kids at little league practice need a place to play to keep them involved in safe after-school activities. Understanding, appreciating and accommodating the validity of these various uses is the ultimate goal of any final design recommendation.
 
5. Identify Positives and Negatives

Public space users expect usable space for all types.
Despite the contrasting goals that different people bring to an outdoor public space, asking them about their likes, dislikes, and areas for improvement does not necessarily result in irresolvable conflicts. Public space is not meant solely for one individual’s experience. Most people tend to expect and tolerate, if not actively appreciate, the presence of other people around. In fact, the presence of other people is often one of the key benefits of a public space. This means people’s ideas for the improvement of a roadway may include improvements for people with different needs than their own: A single, childless working adult may primarily use the street as a transportation corridor to and from work or the store, yet she appreciates the amount of families she sees on her way. Therefore, her suggestion might be to create more playground space nearby, to encourage that kind of activity. A long-time resident may see new immigrants struggle with a language barrier on public signage, and hope to facilitate their integration into the community by suggesting that signs be bilingual. This kind of feedback is focused on a community, not individuals.

6. Determine how to make improvements

Research-based audience-centered design extends beyond physical space.
We have determined that experience research of outdoor public space involves different people/profiles using a place in different contexts with different goals. They know what would improve their own experience, but that experience often includes other people, so needs are not individually-focused. 

So how does an experience architect pull all of this into recommendations for the improvement of a public space? As I mentioned earlier, understanding the multiple definitions of success for stakeholders and the various people using the space is key. Once we know who uses the place, why, how, and what about the place helps or hinders their experience, we can prioritize their needs and recommend solutions.

Summary

Complex initiatives like this go well beyond physical redesign. Any solution needs to speak to the soul and aspirations of the people who use the space. Coming up with a “cool” visual design concept or an environmentally friendly technological solution is a fun exercise for the architect as artist. But without the audience-centered research process, the designer does not have the advantage of knowing the deeper community-based issues that must be considered for the redesign to be truly successful. In public space experience design, the solution serves a diverse community of stakeholders, so it is not only worthwhile from the designer’s standpoint to look at the place from multiple perspectives, understanding how changes affect the whole community is the responsible, respectful approach to take.