“Service designers will need a shift of
attitude—they’ll have to design with rather
than for people.” —Robert Young

Redesigning the music economy

Perpetual monetisation model

20 million users in 240 countries listening
to 300 songs per second

Advertisers
A mini billboard space beside every song
Artists & Labels
Get paid every time someone listens
You
Listen for free

So… why should we be shifting our
conscious to service design?

You’re probably already doing it.

We are the service.

“Any activity or benefit that one party can give
to another…” — Philip Kotler

“A chain of activities or processes that have
value for the end user.” — Dan Saffer

Value

Are you creating something people
actually want to use?

People create create value for each other.

Something inherent to the act of designing.
Something we’re probably already doing if we
are interaction designers.
Something that provides value.

For the service we’re designing.
For how we design the service.

A service is often produced as it’s consumed.

“Involving people as a way of getting
things done” — Sophia Parker

\"…the transformation of businesses at such a
fundamental level require the simultaneous
development of both business methods and the
technology that supports those methods.\"
— Paul Horn

We are facilitators.

Tools for service design

1. Touchpoints

Google search results
Last.fm:
Email
Web/print marketing & advertising
Application on another site
Word of mouth
Catalogue page
Home page
Profile page
Player
Software
Customer service

2. Process Maps

Finding and listening to Radio (flash)
PLACES
Catalogue Pages Your Profile Page, other’s profile Dashboard Group pages
Homepage
pages.
ACTIONS
Listen to radio on the home page Find and listen to radio on the Listening to your rec radio, Listen to group radio
Listening to your rec radio
catalogue pages neighbour radio and possibly tag
Start listening to the radio by Users can listen to radio
Users listen to radio directly from
stations.
typing in an artist. User can use the Listen to similar artist radio (the (if they find it).
their dashboard
pop up functionality if they want to most popular radio) by clicking on Users listen to radio directly from
surf and listen at the same time. the station links on these pages their profile page and other’s profile
pages.
PROBLEMS
There are few problems with this Could we better show what’s in the Why not make this more
How can visitors to your page join in Why can’t we recommend stations to
because this radio is started with a station to motivate people to listen Links to group radio off u
with what you’re listeningt to? users?
user search. We do a good job of this to it? maybe a little bit of extra page so other users can
and a poor job of the findability of contextualisation could help the this station without visiti
How could users rate radio, and how We should better communicate that
stations. anonymous user, which are probably page.
do users find good stations that their you can listen to recommendations
from friends in your rec radio.
the largest number of users access- friends are listening to? What about a
Does the radio listener want a ‘home ing this kind of radio on the We could do a much bet
thumbs up/thumbs down rating
More finabillity of radio stations
page’ playeron their profile page? catalogue pages. showing what’s inside th
system. Or an add to my fav stations
should occour here. radio since group names
button (sidebar display?)
Link context back to the radio—what always that desriptive.
about a “this track is in the following How can we contextualise things
tag stations” idea like we do with the Cat pages could include
better. Ie -- point out what is in the
playlists to contextualise the station “this album / track is in th
station (like we do on the dashboard)
more? idea.
when visiting another user’s page.
Show the influence of users in
Show which members lis
neighbour radio etc.
radio most often? Or wh
are listening now? On th
page? On your groups ta

3. Blueprints

Share something from a res page Share starting from nothing
If shared with specific people (privately) If shared with specific people or If shared with a group* (publicly)
“the public” (publicly)
Share appears on my shares pg Share appears on the group’s
Share appears on my shares pg
(Only I see) shares pg
Share gets it’s own page (URL) Share gets it’s own page (URL)
Share gets it’s own page (URL)
and appears ‘ from you’ and appears ‘from the group’
for those specific people only
Story becomes a candidate for Story becomes a candidate for
the newsfeed the newsfeed
* If the group is private then the share is
inherently private.

4. Experience Prototype

5. Personas

Annie Tina
Persona: The scrobbling listener Persona: The resource user
“I’m addicted to my charts.” “I like getting info and being able to
listen to/watch my favourite bands”
Device/internet usage Device/internet usage
Computer: Sony Vaio Laptop Computer: Shared home PC, Work PC
Mobile: Sony Eriksson Mobile: Sony Eriksson
Demographics Demographics
Portable: Sony PSP Portable: none
Age: 25 Age: 29
Primary device: laptop, mobile Primary device: mobile
Job: Web Designer Job: Architect
Comfort: Really comfortable Comfort: Fairly comfortable
Children: no Children: no
Web: 55 hours/week Web: 40 hours/week
Income: medium Income: medium
Phone: 3 hours/week Phone: 5 hours/week
Hobbies: Music, internet, Hobbies: Friends, sports,
programs: Email, Firefox, other programs: Email, Firefox, FTP, other
friends, gaming, outdoors, music, internet
websites: Google, Last.fm websites: Facebook, Flickr, Last.fm, YouTube
Last.fm feature use: Last.fm feature use:
Profile page, software, tags, friends, groups, events, subscription features Catalogue pages, homepage
Jason Stella
Persona: The music lover Persona: The socialite
“I want to discover new music and get “I feel totally unconnected without
recommendations.” knowing what my friends are doing”
Device/internet usage Device/internet usage
Computer: PC Laptop Computer: School, boyfriend’s laptop
Mobile: Samsung Mobile: Nokia
Demographics Demographics
Portable: 15G iPod (gen II) Portable: pink iPod mini
Age: 35 Age: 19
Primary device: iPod Primary device: mobile phone (text), computer
Job: Journalist Education: In univeristy
Comfort: only with familiar devices,software Comfort: fairly comfortable, unafriad
Children: 1 Children: no
Web: 20 hours/week Web: 50 hours/week
Income: medium Income: low
Phone: 15 hours/week Phone: 5 hours/week
Hobbies: collecting vinyl, Hobbies: parties, music,
programs: Email, iTunes, Word, IE programs: Email, Word, IE, WMplayer, msn
gigs, magazines, reading friends, gigs, blogging
websites: Last.fm, MySpace, websites: MySpace, Facebook, Last.fm
Last.fm feature use: Last.fm feature use:
Catalogue pages, dashboard, profile page, radio, events, groups, tags, neighbours Profile page, radio (flash), friends, journal, groups, events

6. Scenarios

How to stay on track…

A person doesn’t scale ;-)

!
!
Musical complexity (chaos)
The last.fm service
! !
Service model

!
!
Musical complexity (chaos)
A service built from multiple
cohesive products
! !
Service model

! !
! !
Musical complexity (chaos) Musical complexity (chaos)
The last.fm service now A service built from multiple
cohesive products
! ! ! !
Service model Service model

!
!
Musical complexity (chaos)
Without guiding principles
! service model
! !

Is it representative of the complexity, ie. based in real life?
Is it a real problem? Is there a true need / want for this? (qualitative)
Is there data to back this up? (quantitative)
Is it clear, honest and transparent?
Does it make sense within the Last.fm service?
Are you explaining by showing (not telling)?
(along with everything else)
Can someone else repeat it in their own words (and retain the meaning)?
Are you revealing the complexity gradually (is it easy and simple to start?)
Is it fun? Is it obviously alive with people?
Does it manage (set or lower) expectations?
Does it scale positively (like scrobbling)?
Are you using the complexity of the problem as
Is it!s complexity limitless?
fuel for the answer?
Does it reveal the benefits of the Last.fm model?
Sanity check Ask someone else, or a few other people—possibly who aren!t on your
team (if it makes sense to do so) so we!re cross pollinating ideas.
build, design, sign deal, execute etc.
Does it evolve and expand?
Does it spread itself? Does it get better with more?
Does it do the work itself?
Is it easier, simpler and more fun than what existed
Is it better before?
before (in the real world, on another website etc.)

1. Solve the customer’s problem completely by insuring that
all the goods and services work, and work together.
2. Don’t waste the customer’s time.
3. Provide exactly what the customer wants.
4. Provide what’s wanted exactly where it’s wanted.
5. Provide what’s wanted where it’s wanted exactly when it’s
wanted.
6. Continually aggregate solutions to reduce the customer’s
time and hassle.

References & Further Reading:
“Designing for Interaction” — Dan Saffer
http://www.designingforinteraction.com/
“The Journey to the Interface” — Sophia Parker
http://www.demos.co.uk/publications/thejourneytotheinterface
“The New Discipline of Services Science” — Paul Horn
http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/jan2005/
tc20050121_8020.htm
live|work Studio’s service design wiki:
http://www.servicedesign.org/