Bad Services Podcast

In episode 13, we talk about the statement we often use: Service design is 10% design, 90% creating the conditions for design to happen.

We talk about the evolution of the industry, and reflect on where the concept of service design might be misunderstood. From hiring ‘one service designer’ to taking on ‘low hanging fruit’, why are these approaches unhelpful to designing good services.

Join us as we reflect in our last episode of Season 1 of the Bad Services Podcast. 

In episode 12, we talk about chapter 5 of the new book Bad Services, Structure.

We delve into the challenge of siloes, and how they impact the delivery of good services.

We discuss the difference between vertical and horizontal siloes, the Austrian Sythe, Conway’s Law and why good conversations matter inside organizations. 

In episode 11, we talk about chapter 4 of the new book Bad Services, Risk.

The decisions we make in services, and how we design them are influenced by how an organisation treats and responds to risk. 

Join us as we weave analogies about sailing to the horizon, developing monocultures of bananas and juggernaut cars to explore why it’s risky for organizations to continually invest in the short term solutions, or do nothing with their services. 

In episode 10 we talk about chapter 3 of the new book Bad Services, Materials.

Services are made up of materials, and these define how we deliver our services.

We delve into what the materials of services are, and how difficult organisations find it to keep up with technology advances and delivering services in new and different ways.

Join us as we weave from ‘knocker uppers’ to Giambattista Vico’s ‘Verum Factum’ to ATARI and the making of E.T the video game, discussing why caring about the materials and smashing the ‘don’t sweat the detail’ leadership trope is important to design and deliver good services. 

In episode 9 we talk about chapter 2 of the new book Bad Services, Users. 

We explore one of the most common barriers to delivering better services, the ever present issue or not knowing who our users are or what they need

We talk Exeter Cathedral, the obsession with user needs as both a useful and potentially damaging doctrine and look at how we consider really designing solutions and services that help people with what they need to do, that aligns with our purpose. 

With Bad Services, the new book from Lou Downe out now, we’re delving into each chapter, focusing on the causes of Bad Services. 

In episode 8, we’re talking about Purpose

Why does a lack of purpose lead to Bad Services? How do you get together to think about what your service is supposed to do, and how this aligns to the wider purpose of your organization? 

Is there a right way to do Service Design? Or one process you should follow? We’re often asked, what’s the right process for Service Design. The truth is, none of them and all of them at the same time. 

In episode 7, we talk about the ‘Types of Service Design’. 

We de-bunk the idea that there is a ‘right’ way to do service design and share different forms the approach might take from working on one touchpoint of a service to transforming the shape of what the service delivers. 

Now you’ve spotted a bad service, and you’ve thought about who your users are, how about what they need in relation to where they’re at when they are using it?

In this episode we talk about ‘context of use’ and how it changes how people interact with your service

Now you’ve spotted a bad service, and you’ve thought about who your users are, how about what they need in relation to where they’re at when they are using it?

In this episode we talk about ‘context of use’ and how it changes how people interact with your service

We’ve talked what makes a bad service, but how do you spot a bad one? In this episode we cover some of our go to data points of where to find indications your service might not be delivering what you want it to