Service safari
A research method in which the team uses real services, their own or competitors’, and notes what works and what fails.
What it’s for
Understanding a service as a customer experiences it, firsthand, before proposing changes.
Key elements
First-hand
The team uses the service as any customer would.
With a mission
Each person sets out with specific tasks to complete, such as opening an account or disputing a charge.
Compare
Contrast your own services with competitors’ and other sectors’.
An example
Imagine a team redesigning the experience of a bank.
Experiencing the service reveals details that do not appear in any report.
How it’s done
Choose which services to experience and what to observe.
Use them in real conditions, taking notes and photos.
Compare the experiences as a team.
Applications in design
When to use it
At the start of a service project, before proposing changes.
Avoid
Mistaking your experience for that of all users: it is a starting point, not a conclusion.
Don’t fall for it
Combine it with interviews and observation of real people, and also try services from other sectors: they give ideas your competitors do not have.
Connections
Builds on
Authors and works
- 2010
Marc Stickdorn and Jakob Schneider
They describe it among the research tools of service design.
Sources
Secondary sources
- Stickdorn, M., & Schneider, J. (Eds.) (2010). This is service design thinking: Basics, tools, cases. BIS Publishers.
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