Service design helps improve services to make them more useful, usable, and efficient for customers and organizations. The Internet of Things connects physical objects to the internet. Service designers and IoT makers can work together to design connected devices that enhance services by making them more usable for customers and efficient for organizations. Connected objects can replace apps and cards to perform service tasks without interrupting users. Well-designed single purpose connected objects that are context-specific can fulfill tasks better than general devices.

1. Smarter
Touchpoints
& Contextual
Services
Service Design Drinks:
Service Design & the Internet of Things
July 16, 2015 • Hannes Jentsch & Martin Jordan

2. “Service Design helps to innovate or improve
services to make them more useful, usable,
desirable for clients and efficient as well as
effective for organisations.
”
DEFI NITIO N
Service Design
— S T E FA N M O R I T Z , Veryday

3. Source: Amazon
EXAMPLE
Amazon Fresh

4. “The Internet of Things (IoT) is the
interconnection of uniquely identifiable
embedded computing devices within the
existing Internet infrastructure.
”
DEFI NITIO N
Internet of Things
— W I K I P E D I A , I N T E R N E T O F T H I N G S

5. Source: Amazon
EXAMPLE
Amazon Fresh
Grocery delivery supported by digital
touchpoints: mobile app and website

6. Source: Amazon
EXAMPLE
Amazon Fresh
Replacing the phone app with a connected
object—Amazon Dash

7. Source: Amazon
EXAMPLE
Amazon Fresh
An object made to live in the kitchen, with
specialised affordances: two buttons, a hook,
a bar code scanner and a microphone for
dictation—at the same time the service is
unchanged

8. Source: Amazon
EXAMPLE
Amazon
Amazon App
Amazon Dash
Amazon Dash Button
Amazon Watch App

9. Wearables
Connected
cars
Connected
homes
Connected
cities
Industrial
internet
Transportation
Healthcare
Oil & gas
Source: Goldman Sachs Global Investment Research
IoT Landscape

10. What do customers really
want, and how can I deliver
that as an intuitive service,
rather than a stand-alone
product?
QUESTION FOR IOT MAKERS

11. How can connected
devices help making
services more usable for
customers? And more
efficient for organisations?
QUESTION FOR SERVICE DESIGNERS

12. Source: Daimler AG
EXAMPLE
car2go
By-the-minute car sharing service supported
by app and near field communication card

13. Source: Daimler AG; Isabell Herzog & Joseph Ribbe (Key4Car, FH Potsdam)
EXAMPLE
car2go
Replacing app and card with a connected
object—a key fob

14. Source: Daimler AG; Isabell Herzog & Joseph Ribbe (Key4Car, FH Potsdam)
EXAMPLE
car2go
An object made to live on your key chain, able
to make a car reservation without interrupting
a conversation and capable of navigating you
to it, as well as opening it

15. By going beyond screens &
beeps we are able to
respect the capabilities of
human cognition.
HYPOTHESIS

16. Single purpose devices are
built for context, able to
fulfill a specific task very
well.
HYPOTHESIS

17. INPUT FO R CREATING CONNECTED OB JECTS

18. Imagine your rental
bike’s handle vibrates
when you have to
take the turn…
FOOD FO R THOUGHT

19. Imagine your debit
card changes its
colour when you get
close to your
overdraft limit…
FOOD FO R THOUGHT

20. Imagine your digital
ticket reveals itself as
the train attendant
comes by…
FOOD FO R THOUGHT

21. Less smartphone
dependency,
but objects as
messengers
Leverage
all human
capabilities
RECOMMENDATIONS
Think of connected
devices as part
of the bigger
service system
Design as specific
as possible
for contexts
& touchpoints