A landscape analysis of my service design bookshelf

One of my favorite research methods is called a “landscape analysis.”  You might also hear it referred to as a “comparative analysis” or even a “competitive analysis”, depending on the context. You document and analyze similar services, applications, programs, or features within a certain domain or even across domains, to identify trends, draw inspiration, and make decisions as your organization designs something similar. Where are the gaps? What are the patterns? What’s working well that you should consider replicating? What might set your version apart?

For example, let’s imagine you are a state standing up a paid family and medical leave program. You decide to review the paid family and medical leave applications of other states. What questions do they ask in their application? How are they asked? What channels exist to fill out this application —mail, online, or even by phone? You might compile all of this information in a spreadsheet and document insights that can inform your own application. 

So what does a landscape analysis have to do with my bookshelf? As I have brainstormed topics for this blog, I have been contemplating what great service design resources already exist so I don’t write about anything redundant and can offer up a different perspective. I’m not necessarily aiming to write a book (though that has been a lifelong dream), but instead develop a strong point of view around different service design topics — almost like a value proposition. I thought I would use this post to compile some high-level themes regarding what is already out there, and where this blog might fit in.

This is by no means a rigorous landscape analysis — it’s meant to be lightweight and fun!

I have a lot of methods-focused books.
As I was starting out as a service designer, I wanted to understand approaches and frameworks that I would use in my day-to-day design work — which is why they are on my bookshelf. Some were also assigned reading for service design or user research-related coursework when I was in grad school. I find myself reaching for these books less frequently these days as a more experienced designer. As I scope a project, I already have a strong sense of what methods could be applied in which contexts to help an organization or team reach a specific goal. 

These books are explicitly about service design in how they are titled and structured. They set a foundation for what service design is and give examples of service design activities that you might use throughout the design process (discovery, evaluation, implementation, etc.). 

Examples on my bookshelf include:
 

• This is Service Design Methods by Mark Stickdorn, Adam Lawrence, Markus Hormess and Jakob Schenider

• Convivial Toolbox: Generative Research for the Front End of Design by Elizabeth B.-N. Sanders and Pieter Jan Stappers

• Service Innovation Handbook: Action-Oriented Creative Thinking Toolkit for Service Organizations by Lucy Kimbell

• Service Design: From Insights to Implementation by Andy Polaine, Lavrans Løvlie, and Ben Reason

• Orchestrating Experiences: Collaborative Design for Complexity by Chris Risdon and Patrick Quattlebaum
  
  One book stood out by focusing on service principles rather than methods. 
  Good Services: How to Design Services That Work by Lou Downe takes a different approach than the other books on my shelf: It lays out a series of design principles that make up a good service. It makes a strong case for why we need good services, with some tips for applying each principle within your own context. 
  
  I also have learned a lot from books that aren’t really about service design.
  At least not explicitly! These are books focused on broader skillsets or domains that could be relevant to all sorts of contexts, but that have ultimately helped me make an impact as a service designer.
  
  Strategy

• Good Strategy/Bad Strategy: The Difference and Why It Matters by Richard Rumelt

• Managing Priorities: How to Make Better Plans and Smarter Decisions by Harry Max
  Facilitation

• Resonate: Present Visual Stories That Transform Audiences by Nancy Duarte

• Meeting Design: For Managers, Makers, and Everyone by Kevin M. Hoffman
  Organizational Design

• Org Design for Design Orgs by Peter Merholz and Kristin Skinner 
  
  So what’s missing?
  I see my bookshelf categorized like a venn diagram: there are explicit service design books that provide a foundation for what good services are and methods for designing them. Then there are books about disparate skillsets that could be applicable to a variety of professions. I see an opportunity for that missing middle of the venn diagram: more writing on how to create alignment, communicate effectively, and scale your impact, but for a service design audience.
  
  Maybe that’s where this blog comes in.

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