Drawing on this expertise, the College has announced a Service Design Masterclass from 23–24 May aimed at private and public sector executives and senior managers that are interested in transforming their organisation through the application of service design. This executive level course aims to kickstart change in participants’ organisations by teaching them how to apply practical tools for effective service design. Clive Grinyer, Visiting Tutor in Service Design, is leading the inaugural two-day Service Design Masterclass at the RCA.

Both MA Service Design and the masterclass bring together individuals from varied backgrounds and disciplines to consider how design can improve a wide range of services – from automotive, telecommunications and financial services to charities, government departments and local authorities.

Clive’s experience is as extensive as it is varied. He began his career at Ideo, before establishing Tangerine with Martin Derbyshire and Jony Ive – chief design officer at Apple and chancellor of the RCA – where they attracted global clients like LG and Apple. Clive was Design Director of the UK Design Council from 2001–3 during which time he instilled creative thinking in the heart of UK businesses through immersive programmes. He worked as in-house design thinker for companies including, Orange, France Telecom and Cisco and assisted companies including John Lewis, Tesco, Marks & Spencer and Barclays to uncover and solve difficulties managing customer expectations.

Discussing the importance of service design, Clive commented: ‘Putting people first – workers, customers, suppliers – service design applies design thinking to iron out inconsistencies in operations and services, cut across outmoded hierarchies and nurture a culture of empowerment and innovation. New companies such as ZipCar, Airbnb and Amazon have revolutionised services and how they are designed. Often founded by designers, they have bought a new tone of voice, easy to use interfaces and an end-to-end solution that worked for people.’

The MA Programme has an impressive employment record, with recent graduates joining IDEO, Fjord, Engine, EY-Seren, Public Health England, Government Digital Services, Jaguar Land Rover and McKinsey.

The Service Design Masterclass at the RCA offers participants applicable service design methodologies and frameworks that can be implemented and adapted to create better customer experiences.

Alongside Clive, the masterclass will be delivered by RCA Service Design Platform Leader Nicolás Rebolledo. Nicolás is co-founder of UNIT, the strategic design agency behind the inception and first innovation strategy of the Laboratorio de Gobierno de Chile. His academic and professional practice is concerned with the development and implementation of design-led service innovation processes, with a focus on social and public-sector innovation.

Service Design Masterclass at the Royal College of Art on 23–24 May, more information and booking details are available here.

Find out more about MA Service Design at the RCA and how to apply.

Find out more about RCA Executive Masterclasses and RCA Summer Courses.