Adding value: exploring user contexts in service design tools

Abstract

The aim of this position paper is to identify the impact of user context and possible participation barriers within (Service) Design toolkits. Service Design, as a discipline, is a growing field that encompasses areas of design, organisational theory and practice, information and communication technology (ICT) and many others. The comprehensive, user-focused nature of Service Design facilitates the development of contextually relevant solutions to commercial, environmental and social difficulties. This aspect allows the designer, and/or facilitator the opportunity to engage meaningfully with users and communities in a responsible and transparent manner. The engagement context within Service Design projects must be considered to ensure that barriers to user engagement are identified and addressed. The user contexts relating to participation barriers are drawn from Gulliksen, Lantz and Boivie’s (1999) identification of problem areas within user-centred design projects and observations from participatory and co-design sessions. This project explores the personal user context and potential participation barriers in relation to three open-access Service Design toolkits. The first titled ‘Service Design Toolkit’ was developed at the JAMK University of Applied Sciences, the second, titled ‘Design methods for developing services’ is by the British based Technology Strategy Board and Design Council and the third designed by Frog Design titled ‘Collective Action Toolkit’.