When was the last time you helped to design a community?

Around 30 people got together, in Lisbon, to share their views, experience and help to shape what kind of chapter they want Service Design Network to build in Portugal.

Last December 13, twenty-six committed designers joined us for an after-work co-creation session. This was the first SDN Portugal building session and an acid test for both our work and vision to make Portugal a Service Design Hub.

The session began with a quick introduction to our vision and associated pillars, SDN organisation and roles envisioned for community members: Ambassador, Go-Getter and Freestyler, from more to less commitment. This short introduction gave place to a great session where feedback, key challenges, opportunities and specific actions were discussed for each of the three pillars (see Figure 1) that represent the vision of Chapter to make of Portugal a Service Design Hub in the world: knowledge, business and community.

 --

This was the first SDN Portugal building session and an acid test for both our work and vision to make Portugal a Service Design Hub.

Results

In terms of commitment, 70% of the participants said in the post-event survey that they were ready to play a go-getter role, which means the willingness to share the burden, execute tasks and make things happen. This ample commitment is a clear representation of the excitement and also the need, verbalized by many, to professionalize this field in Portugal.

Now, to build solid foundations for each of the three pillars presented, this is what we learned:

  • Knowledge: It was emphasized the need to partner with universities to implement courses of Service Design, but also it was highlighted that this offering should be offered online and in Portuguese. Another demand is curating the contents so the quality of what is published in Portugal in this field is guaranteed. 

  • Business: The attendees urged us to show the value of Service design with case studies, best practices, methods and playbooks specifically addressed to c-level. Complementary and for the purpose of creating awareness, many mentioned the need of conferences that presented Service design. 
  • Community: Create a database of professionals that included the key areas of expertise and level of experience. Provide different channels to facilitate the interaction and ability of the community to learn and grow from each other. A third key topic which was mentioned is the certification of professionals. 

Check some glimpses of the event here.

70% of the participants said that they were ready to play a go-getter role, which means the willingness to share the burden, execute tasks and make things happen.

Related Headlines

SDN Chapters Service Design Global Conference 2023 - Early Bird registration open until May 31

Service Design Global Conference 2023 - Early Bird registration open until May 31

Take advantage of the early bird tickets and register under reduced prices.

Continue reading
SDN Chapters Touchpoint Vol.14 No.1 - The Employee Journey: Call for papers

Touchpoint Vol.14 No.1 - The Employee Journey: Call for papers

The service design community has long recognised the importance of the employee experience as being inherently interlinked with user experience. Employees are integral to any service delivery, whether they are present in face-to-face service interactions, such as hospitality, or whether they are behind the scenes of (primarily) digital services, responsible for apps and interfaces.

Continue reading
SDN Global News SDN Next Gen Conference early bird tickets is out!

SDN Next Gen Conference early bird tickets is out!

Are you ready to revolutionize the future of service design? If you're starting out in your service design odyssey, this conference is the perfect place to ignite your creativity, expand your knowledge, and make your first marks on the world of service design.

Continue reading
SDN Chapters Service Design Global Conference 2023 - Save the date!

Service Design Global Conference 2023 - Save the date!

We are excited to announce the dates and host city for this year’s Service Design Global Conference. See you in Berlin, October 5-6, 2023!

Continue reading