Abstract
Many design practices rely heavily on visual and enacted representations, and service design is no exception. Sounds are an inevitable part of a service. As an integral part of a servicescape, they provide cues for action and and signal how we interact with the environment. This study explores how auditory representations can be used for the purpose of developing a more holistic and nuanced understanding of service experience through a conceptual exploration that integrates literature with empirical insights. The study contributes to the growing knowledge about service design, by suggesting that auditory representations can be approached from the perspectives of sense-making, design work practices and creating auditory representations. It is also argued that these perspectives are implicated by and have implications for ontological, epistemological, and methodological dimension in service design.
Keywords
Service design, Sound, Auditory representations, Visual representations
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21606/nordes.2023.125
Citation
Kustrak Korper, A.,and Rodrigues, V.(2023) “Ear opening”: Conceptualizing auditory representations in service design, in Holmlid, S., Rodrigues, V., Westin, C., Krogh, P. G., Mäkelä, M., Svanaes, D., Wikberg-Nilsson, Å (eds.), Nordes 2023: This Space Intentionally Left Blank, 12-14 June, Linköping University, Norrköping, Sweden. https://doi.org/10.21606/nordes.2023.125
Conference Track
researchpapers
“Ear opening”: Conceptualizing auditory representations in service design
Many design practices rely heavily on visual and enacted representations, and service design is no exception. Sounds are an inevitable part of a service. As an integral part of a servicescape, they provide cues for action and and signal how we interact with the environment. This study explores how auditory representations can be used for the purpose of developing a more holistic and nuanced understanding of service experience through a conceptual exploration that integrates literature with empirical insights. The study contributes to the growing knowledge about service design, by suggesting that auditory representations can be approached from the perspectives of sense-making, design work practices and creating auditory representations. It is also argued that these perspectives are implicated by and have implications for ontological, epistemological, and methodological dimension in service design.