Service design

An introduction to service design and a selection of service design tools. The resource is both an online catalog of resources as well as a publication. Combined, they comprise a basic but comprehensive introduction to service design and a selection of service design tools. The resources include the fundamentals of service design, an explanation of the Double Diamond design process and how it is used in service design, what to expect when working with a designer, and tools and methods that service designers use in the creative process. The publisher is considered the creator of the Double Diamond design process, which is ubiquitous in the design world. 

To access the toolkit, click on the link below, which directs you to the OPSI-site. You do not have to log in, you may scroll down the OPSI-page to have direct access to the toolkit. 

This toolkit includes a series of 16 individual templates for different service design methods and techniques, plus posters with a guiding methodology for use in your own workshops. The posters do not include much step-by-step guidance so these are best used by people who have used these methods and techniques previously. The publisher's website also includes some case studies. Available in English and Dutch.

To access the toolkit, click on the link below, which directs you to the OPSI-site. You do not have to log in, you may scroll down the OPSI-page to have direct access to the toolkit. 

A visual, playful, co-creation tool that allows individuals to explore digital services in a tangible and interactive way. The sandbox can be used to test an existing service or to create new ones. The resource is oriented toward designing interior environments, especially digitalising environments, but could be used more broadly. The tool consists of three phases (build, ideate and define), plus a pitch template for taking the process one step further. According to the authors, the tool can be used when design professionals and other professions want to work and co-create together in order to achieve alignment and create a common language between them.

To access the toolkit, click on the link below, which directs you to the OPSI-site. You do not have to log in, you may scroll down the OPSI-page to have direct access to the toolkit. 

A collection of tools that describe how 18F digital service teams put human-centered design into practice. These cards are focused on design in the context of digital services, but can be adapted to non-technical design projects as well. The resource is online and also available as printable cards. The card set includes simplified information on various design methods according to an overall methodology: Discover, Decide, Make,Validate. There are also "Fundamentals" cards related to incentives, privacy, and recruiting, all of which are important for overall design projects. Each card covers what, why, how, time required, and additional resources to learn more about the method. These are intended to be sequenced according to the needs of the project. Some prior experience with the methods may be helpful for context.

To access the toolkit, click on the link below, which directs you to the OPSI-site. You do not have to log in, you may scroll down the OPSI-page to have direct access to the toolkit. 

A guided introduction to 14 common service design tools, such as empathy maps, personas, and customer journeys. They are organised by the publisher's methodology: Define, Learn, Solve, Test. Toolkit. The publisher offers a suggested path through the tools but the publisher suggests that each can be used on their own. 

To access the toolkit, click on the link below, which directs you to the OPSI-site. You do not have to log in, you may scroll down the OPSI-page to have direct access to the toolkit. 

This Digital Services Guide by the Government of Catalonia describes how to design the services offered by the public administration, taking into account the following:

• The importance of prioritising the user experience. The design of the service must be focused on user-friendliness.
• The relevance of updating the way in which public workers proceed in order to overcome tasks that have become meaningless in the digital context.

The guide includes the principles, steps and tools to apply the methodology and is available in English, Spanish, Aranese and Catalan. 

This toolkit by the Catalan Government introduces practical tools for design and improve services with the citizens (in Catalan). Its aim is to adapt the design thinking methods, that could be found in any publicly available toolkit, to the organisational context of the Catalan Government, to reduce the cultural distance from the method to the civil servants current practice. 

A collection of tools compiled by the Porto Innovation Hub relying on the methodology of service design and design thinking for the design and improvement of services and products, through the creative and analytical application of tools and methods, e.g. the Double Diamond (in Portuguese).