Abstract
Service design (SD) practice has been shifting its aims from new service development toward service system transformation. Despite the complexity, uncertainty and non-linearity of such an ambition, SD continues to employ project based structures to organise its processes. Recognising that such organising frameworks often limit service design’s transformative potential, this paper explores how a programmatic approach can be applied to SD practice aimed at service system transformation. Drawing from three SD programs conducted in Norway and Sweden, we outline four core contributions of a programmatic approach to service system transformation: 1) supporting open-ended inquiry; 2) encouraging situated experimentation; 3) promoting adaptation through oscillation; and 4) cultivating collective reflexive action. This paper unpacks the struggles that adopting a programmatic approach in practice entails and offers considerations for SD practitioners in how to strategically navigate related challenges.
Keywords
programmatic approach, design research programs, projects, service design practice; service system transformation
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21606/servdes2025.38
Citation
Vink, J., Rodrigues, V., Hay, A.F., Petrusson, K., Legeby, M., Wetter-Edman, K.,and Holmlid, S.(2025) From projects to programs: An alternative approach to service design practice, in Mahamuni, R., Onkar, P. (eds.), ServDes 2025: Empowering Diversity, Nurturing Lasting Impact, 6–10 October, Hyderabad, India. https://doi.org/10.21606/servdes2025.38
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
From projects to programs: An alternative approach to service design practice
Service design (SD) practice has been shifting its aims from new service development toward service system transformation. Despite the complexity, uncertainty and non-linearity of such an ambition, SD continues to employ project based structures to organise its processes. Recognising that such organising frameworks often limit service design’s transformative potential, this paper explores how a programmatic approach can be applied to SD practice aimed at service system transformation. Drawing from three SD programs conducted in Norway and Sweden, we outline four core contributions of a programmatic approach to service system transformation: 1) supporting open-ended inquiry; 2) encouraging situated experimentation; 3) promoting adaptation through oscillation; and 4) cultivating collective reflexive action. This paper unpacks the struggles that adopting a programmatic approach in practice entails and offers considerations for SD practitioners in how to strategically navigate related challenges.