http://www.mworker.com/en/5-service-design-projects-for-freelance-projects/ Service design has been in the spotlight for quite a short while, yet more and more companies embrace its benefits. As for freelancers, sometimes your clients might perceive greater value from a technically less sophisticated effort if it has been built with great regard to the people, which will be the users of the end-product. Here are several service design principles to embrace and focus on while designing your customer experience. Understand the needs First and foremost, understand why your users need what you are about to build. The project must adjust to the people rather than the opposite. Understand what ‘jobs’ people do using your service/project, and how to help them perform those tasks simpler and more effectively. People not products Whatever your actual job-at-hand is – a website, design project, or something else – the beneficiary either way is people. Therefore, it is crucial to make the process as close to them as possible so that they would feel they are contributing, and the end-result would be tailored to real people’s needs. Ask for your client’s participation early on. Data-driven design In many cases, your work will be to update/renew an existing project/system/function. This means that there is at least some readily available data that you can process and analyze in order to understand how people use the service, and design accordingly. If data isn’t available, try going out there and asking your users. Either way, this will be more accurate than sole opinion of you or your client. Prototype, fail cheap, and learn from it Don’t try to perfect your first version, it might turn out completely useless when it’s given to the user. Instead, build rough prototypes, give them to users, and if they fail, simply build another one. Even though this will definitely take more time than building one version, your clients will thank you, because it will work a lot better than something that hasn’t been tested, and over time the ROI of it will be significantly higher. Understand the context and take action Realize that your project is only one piece in the puzzle. Design so that it could accompany other parts, and be an integral part of the whole system. This will guarantee better functionality and more convenient usability, and that’s exactly what we want.

1. www.mworker.com
5 Service Design Principles for
Freelance Projects

2. www.mworker.com
5 Service Design Principles for
Freelance Projects
• Service design has been in the spotlight for quite a
short while, yet more and more companies embrace
its benefits. As for freelancers, sometimes your
clients might perceive greater value from a
technically less sophisticated effort if it has been
built with great regard to the people, which will be
the users of the end-product. Here are several
service design principles to embrace and focus on
while designing your customer experience.

3. www.mworker.com
Understand the needs
• First and foremost, understand why your users
need what you are about to build. The project must
adjust to the people rather than the opposite.
Understand what ‘jobs’ people do using your
service/project, and how to help them perform
those tasks simpler and more effectively.

4. www.mworker.com
People not products
• Whatever your actual job-at-hand is – a website, design
project, or something else – the beneficiary either way is
people. Therefore, it is crucial to make the process as close to
them as possible so that they would feel they are
contributing, and the end-result would be tailored to real
people’s needs. Ask for your client’s participation early on.

5. www.mworker.com
Data-driven design
• In many cases, your work will be to update/renew an existing
project/system/function. This means that there is at least
some readily available data that you can process and analyze
in order to understand how people use the service, and
design accordingly. If data isn’t available, try going out there
and asking your users. Either way, this will be more accurate
than sole opinion of you or your client.

6. Prototype, fail cheap, and learn from
it
• Don’t try to perfect your first version, it might
turn out completely useless when it’s given to
the user. Instead, build rough prototypes, give
them to users, and if they fail, simply build
another one. Even though this will definitely
take more time than building one version,
your clients will thank you, because it will
work a lot better than something that hasn’t
been tested, and over time the ROI of it will
be significantly higher.

7. Understand the context and take
action
• Realize that your project is only one piece in
the puzzle. Design so that it could accompany
other parts, and be an integral part of the
whole system. This will guarantee better
functionality and more convenient usability,
and that’s exactly what we want.

8. www.mworker.com