Service Mapping
Studio Notes | Short Reads
by Sean Casey, Service Designer
Designing a service is a unique challenge when compared to designing products, logos, or websites. Although these elements are important parts of a service, it’s the integration between them that creates a great customer experience.
The inner workings of a service are often invisible, especially if that service has a long history, or if it developed and scaled quickly. This is where the power of mapping comes into play, offering a visual and collaborative way to understand, your services, and innovate based on that understanding.
Service mapping is a key tool in the service designers toolkit. It’s a method that reveals the intricacies of a service by breaking it down into digestible visuals. With a well-constructed service map, you can gain insight into the customer journey, identify pain points, and spot opportunities for improvement and innovation.
Creating a service map requires collaboration and input from a wide range of stakeholders within your organisation. In our mapping process, we involve teams and stakeholders from across your service, customers, and external providers, to gather diverse perspectives and ensure that the map closely reflects the reality of your service from different points of view.
During this process, team members can share their experiences, observations, and ideas. This exchange of information often uncovers hidden issues and untapped opportunities that might not have surfaced otherwise. As a result, you not only create more accurate and comprehensive service maps but also foster a culture of collaboration and ownership within your organisation.
Armed with an accurate map of how things really work – your organisation is primed to blueprint the future state – read more about that in our Service Blueprint blog post.
Our work doesn’t end with the creation of the map. Our goal is to help your teams to think with a design mindset, ensuring they have the tools and knowledge to continue updating and adjusting the maps as your service evolves. This dynamic approach ensures that even after we’re gone, your maps grow and transform alongside your service, guiding your team to make informed decisions and strategic improvements at every stage.