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70 503 Service Design 1: Methods and Tools
Passed foundation level (BA-level) courses at AHO or equivalent, 180 ECTS.
Recommended previous knowledge:
- User centred design methodologies
- Qualitative research and analysis
- Ideation techniques
- Prototyping
- Concept communication
This semester allows Masters level students to develop and practice the key competences of service design within projects together with professional partners and in real service design settings. It aims to reflect on the methodologies related to service design in a real context, where projects are intended to be desirable and viable.
The course has two main sections, both developed by means of projects. The short project is intended to be an applied introduction to the concepts, methods, and resources used for the design of services; the second one is a broader project for a partner (a private company or a public organization), where the students will work as professional Service Design consultants.
The course’s orientation is essentially practical, it builds on the idea that the best way to develop skills is by means of projects and practical experiences, and by exposing the students to different experiences and feedback from multiple observers.
KNOWLEDGE
- Understand and appropriate Service Design methodologies such as AT-ONE and User Centred Design for the development of service design projects.
- Develop a reflective mindset about the Service Design, its approach, process, deliverables, possibilities, limitations and implications.
SKILLS
- Refine the skills of observation, analysis, and creativity that lead to the formulation of relevant and valuable solutions for the user(s) as well as viable and feasible for the service provider.
- Develop the skills to understand how businesses think, and its relation to service design opportunities.
- Visualize, communicate and prototype, both the current experience (what is) and the suggested new one (what could be).
- Develop skills to evaluate the proposed solutions and business projects, according to the differential potential in the eyes of the user(s) and service provider.
- Be able to plan and facilitate workshops for project teams.
- Develop collaborative skills to work with other designers, users, and different stakeholders that enable a proactive and professional role in teams and in collaboration with project partners.
GENERAL COMPETENCE
- Be able to describe the difference between products and services and what it means to design a service.
- Gain methodical insight by actively participating in a service design process.
- Promote professional experience in a real organization, strengthening the ability to work in teams with an emphasis on results.
- Understand how service design can influence a company's strategy and value creation.
The main teaching will be based on tutoring sessions at the studio, AT-ONE Innovation workshops, structured presentations and discussions within the course participants.
The course also integrates lectures, studio work (groups and individual), and project(s) in collaboration with external partners where the students will form and work as design consultancies.
The course has two main sections, both developed by means of projects:
- Short project: An applied introduction to concrete concepts, methods, and tools used for the design of services.
- Broad project: A project developed with a partner (a private company or public organization), where the students will work as professional Service Design consultants.
Being a practice-driven course, the student’s progression through both projects will be presented by means of:
- Group and individual mid-term deliverables and presentations
- Workshops
- Evidencing material
Details regarding the calendar, main events, deliverables, and evaluation criteria will be described and detailed in the briefing for each project at the beginning of each section.
| Form of assessment | Grouping | Grading scale | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portfolio assessment (Vurderingsmappe) | - | Pass / fail | Being a practice-driven course, the student’s progression through the course will be assessed by means of: • Evidencing material • Group and individual mid-term deliverables • Presentations • Project reports The course has 2 modules. Each module will consist of a main project with group and individual deliverables that will receive qualitative assessment to identify strengths and weaknesses. The project will have a final presentation, that will be assessed in pass or fail by an external sensor and the course leader. The details for each project regarding deliverables and evaluation criteria will be described in the brief for each project at the beginning of each module. The students need to pass both modules to pass the course. For those students that fail one of two modules, a portfolio assessment of the whole coursework (this comprises all group and individual deliverables presented by the student during the semester, additionally to the final presentation), will be carried out by the course leader and a second Service Design lecturer from the Institute at the end of the semester to finally decide if the student has reached the desired learning outcomes presented in this document. |
| Workload activity | Comment |
|---|---|
| Attendance | This is an intensive course and it demands consistent and hard work from the participants. Although the projects are often developed groups, individual deliverables will also be required during the projects. Medical absences won't affect the participation, but they need to be presented on time (not further than 8 days after the absence) to the course leader and to the Student Administration. Students are expected to attend at least 90% of the main course events described in the detailed calendar for each project, in order to be able to pass the course. The course leader will take attendance 15 minutes after the beginning of each session. She/he will inform the students if they are close to failing the course, due to lack of attendance. |