Service Design Defined

A service can be defined as “a non physical product manufactured by individuals (supplier and consumer) at the point of delivery”. This definition recognises that services are assemblies of previously designed components such as:

• People
• Rules and processes
• Prior information Consumer information
• The supplier individuals’ knowledge and skills
• Tools for the service, such as information technology  

The consumer supplies relevant information that enables the specific “manufacture” of the service at that time. The service supplier assembles the specific service using the components designed prior to service delivery. Supplier staff and consumers both contribute to the “final assembly” of the service. In this way both the total service experience and the component parts are influenced by the best design practices as well as effective manufacturing processes such as quality control and economies of scale.

The DIEC will create the new discipline and the new practice of producing a service in the way one produces a product. The DIEC will formalise the creation of the new profession of Service Design.