Why BAD services are good for you / Lou Downe / Ep. #205

Service Design Show

Good Services... A book that has quickly become a classic in our field. If you haven't read it yet, it's a must. It outlines the 10 principles of good services, which is pretty fundamental stuff. But even before writing it, Lou Downe was already an icon, creating impact as the Director of Design at the Government Digital Service in the UK. So when I heard through the grapevine that there was a sequel in the making, I just had to invite Lou back to the show. Interestingly enough, our conversation started with a question: Why, even after all these years, are we still trying to justify the value we bring to the table? There's nothing wrong with articulating our value, of course. But how can we make it a two-way street, rather than all the burden falling on us, the design community? These days, Lou runs the School of Good Design, where they help professionals tackle this very challenge. So in this episode, we get to tap into a wealth of practical advice based on their experience. But we didn't stop there. We also dive into: * What has changed since "Good Services" was published in 2020? * What drove Lou to write a follow-up, and how will it differ from the first one? * What does the future hold for service design? Lou dropped a surprise during our conversation. As the new book is still in the works, there's a unique opportunity for you to contribute! You'll hear all the details in the episode.

--- [ 1. GUIDE ] ---

00:00 Welcome (keep the same)

04:00 Beyond Design Justification

05:20 Good Services Journey

08:00 The Gap: Bad Services

13:30 Finding Value's Middle Ground

16:00 External Validation

19:00 Misunderstanding Service Design

25:00 Lightbulb Moment

28:30 Great Service Example

31:30 Design vs. Service Pros

35:00 Understanding the Service

37:00 Service "Designers" debate

44:00 Understanding your role

48:00 Grow Service Design Skills

51:00 The New Service Book

53:00 New Book vs. Good Services

55:00 How We Can Help

56:30 Wrapping Up

--- [ 2. LINKS ] ---

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/lou-downe-757a83b/
• https://good.services/
• https://good.services/home
• https://good.services/deadendspodcast
• https://good.services/contact

--- [ 3. CIRCLE ] ---

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