Service design requires making sense of end-to-end experiences and helping team members with different backgrounds get on the same page. Here's how, with a little help from sticky notes. Presented at STLX Conference on September 25, 2017.

1. How to Use Sticky Notes
(Meaningfully)
STLX Conference
September 25 – 26, 2017
Nathan Lucy
@_nathanlucy

2. Photo: Amazon
Why do I use
sticky notes?

4. Synthesis
understanding the context and people
you’re designing for and framing the
problem you will help them solve

5. The Squiggle by Damien Newman

6. Synthesis

7. You can’t empathize
with numbers.

8. Go out and talk
with people where
they live and work.

9. Research → Synthesis → Design

10. 3 principles
2 methods
8 tips

11. External Cognition
“Your head is for having ideas, not holding them.”
– David Allen
Principle #1

12. Rapid Iteration
“The ease with which we can change a representation correlates to
our willingness to improve the model.”
– Tom Wujec
Principle #2

13. Diverse Perspectives
“All of us are smarter than any of us.”
– Douglass Merrill
Principle #3

14. “Maps”
Method #1

15. Map Anatomy
steps
→ → → → →
line of
interaction
user actions,
feelings, metrics
touchpoints,
service provider
actions,
feelings, metrics

18. Maps don’t need to be pretty.
They need to communicate.

19. New Patient
Appointment

20. [DRD blueprint without overlay]

21. Affinity
Diagramming
Method #2

22. Transcribe
Step #1

23. Cluster
Step #2

24. Label
Step #3

25. Step #4
Principles

26. 8
Tips

27. Pull back, don’t roll
×

28. Cheap notes fall.
😩

29. Meaningless multicolor
is a rookie mistake.

30. 🙄 🙄

31. Markers remain legible
from a distance.
Pens disappear.

32. Dark notes are
hard to read.

33. Accordion notes—
don’t even.

34. Once you’re done,
take a picture.

36. bit.ly/stickysynthesis

37. Discussion

38. Resources
• Touchpoint, the journal of service design (Service Design Network)
• Austin Center for Design’s online library: library.ac4d.com
• Exposing the Magic of Design book (Jon Kolko)
• Mapping Experiences book (Jim Kalbach)
• My design thinking class at WashU is open to the public. We meet 1 night /
week every Spring. https://sites.wustl.edu/designthinking/
• Practical Service Design online training (Erik Flowers and Megan Miller):
http://www.practicalservicedesign.com