Service environment design
Designs the physical setting in which a service is delivered (the space, light, sound, signs) because it affects how customers and employees experience it.
What problem it addresses
In a service, the space is part of the experience: an uncomfortable wait or a confusing place changes how everything else is judged.
Principles
Ambience
Light, noise, temperature and smell.
Space and function
How it is laid out and whether it makes the tasks easier.
Signs and symbols
What the place communicates without words.
Applications in design
Use it like this
Walk through the space as a customer and as an employee.
Avoid
Designing the space only for the photo.
Don’t fall for it
The setting also affects those who work there all day.
Connections
Builds on
Authors and works
- 1992
Mary Jo Bitner
Showed that the physical setting of a service influences the behavior of customers and employees.
Sources
Original sources
- Bitner, M. J. (1992). Servicescapes: The impact of physical surroundings on customers and employees. Journal of Marketing, 56(2), 57–71. View source: Bitner, M. J. (1992)
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