Service Design

Service Design is an established practice in the School of Design, hosting the first service design Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) programme in 2008 and is one of the first design schools globally to support service design focused doctoral studies. We have a particular focus in applying service design research within public and social spaces.

The impact of our research is evidenced for example through our engagements with national voluntary organisations. Work with Mind and Girl Guiding UK has led to Service Design being embedded as a core approach in how these organisations develop services. Knowledge developed by this research group has led to the development of more user-centered organisational culture and improved services.

Service design research in the school includes using design research approaches to develop understandings of and innovations in healthcare service provision; the creation of innovative products and artefacts that make use of advanced methodologies for practice-based design research and exploring the value of design approaches to Voluntary Community Sector (VCS) organisations delivering public services.