Service Design Award 2024

We are thrilled to announce the finalists for the Service Design Award 2024, curated by the Service Design Network. These remarkable projects have set a new standard in service design, showcasing innovation, creativity, and impact across various sectors.

After a rigorous evaluation process by our esteemed international jury of experts, fourteen projects have been shortlisted in three categories: Professional Commercial, Professional Non-profit/Public Sector, and Student. These finalists represent the very best of service design, and their exceptional work is helping to shape the future of our industry.

The Service Design Award Ceremony 2024 was an unforgettable celebration of creativity, innovation, and the best of what service design can offer. Held on October 3, at the Service Design Global Conference (SDGC24) in Helsinki, the ceremony marked the culmination of months of hard work, collaboration, and excellence from service design professionals and students across the globe.

Congratulations to all our winners and finalists! Your contributions are a testament to the power of service design to transform experiences and create meaningful change. We look forward to celebrating your achievements at SDGC24. Take the opportunity to be part of this exciting event and witness the unveiling of the best in service design.

Special thanks to our jury, led by Luis Alt (Head of Jury), Birgit Mager, Cathy Huang, Satu Miettinen, Damian Kernahan and Brian Gillespie and Service Design Award Project Lead - Sonja Jazic. 

Service Design Award Ceremony is supported by Siili Solutions.

Winner: Best Commercial Project

Winner: Best Commercial Project

Absa ChatWallet

Company: Absa Bank

Country: South Africa

Client: In-house Project

Summary:
In Africa today, over 350 million people are excluded from formal banking – whether by choice, or by circumstance. Customer barriers include perceived costs, banking complexity, limited geographical and technological access, and a lack of trust. People still largely use cash which is risky to carry and costly to use. In South Africa, six million people are "underbanked" - withdrawing their entire salary or wages from an account into cash every month. Another 12 million people are "unbanked" with no bank account at all.

Over 56 billion payments are made every year in the informal economy in South Africa and expanding financial inclusion will be closely linked to the digitisation of cash. In 2023, one of the most advanced payment systems in the world was launched, enabling interbank payments in less than 10-seconds and with low to no fees. As the adoption of smartphones grows exponentially, Africa is poised for a new way of banking and Absa, one of the largest African banks is well placed to deliver.

Winner: Best Non-Profit Project

Winner: Best Non-Profit Project

Modernising Singapore’s Employment Pass Legacy Systems to Deliver Seamless Customer Services

Organisation: Ministry of Manpower

Country: Singapore

Client: Work Pass Division

Summary:
MOM’s 18-year-old monolithic legacy employment pass IT systems had cumbersome customer and employee user experiences, which resulted in low customer satisfaction. MOM sought to transform and modernize the legacy systems, to meet the demands of Singapore’s dynamic economy and labour market and reduce businesses’ costs in transacting with MOM.

This project focuses on the design of the Work Pass Integrated Systems-Employment Pass
(“WINS-EP”). MOM set out to create digital services that are resilient, adaptive and simple, and deliver a seamless customer experience.

Winner: Best Student Project

Winner: Best Student Project

Service Design for NORCS

University: NORC Innovation Centre/University of Toronto

Country: Canada

Client: In-house Project

Team: Mia Mo, Robyn Carino, and Samiha Essakhi

Summary:
Canada's rapidly aging population demands innovative housing and care solutions to support older adults' desire to age in their communities. Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities (NORCs) is an innovative model that integrates health, social, and physical supports directly within apartment buildings, community housing and condominiums with a high density of older adults. NORCs present an alternative with the potential to lower healthcare costs for older adults while improving healthcare outcomes and satisfaction.

We addressed this challenge by collaborating with frontline care providers and backstage support staff. We mapped and blueprinted the new service while developing a digital tool to empower NIC’s frontline staff and easing data collection and coordination for backstage staff. The project centered on a digital employee portal, however the team applied Service Design coursework and co-op experience from Bridgeable to expand beyond the silo of traditional UX. The portal served as a site for negotiating and tangibilizing key components of the new service model and the work extended to non-digitial touchpoints and broader service processes and policies.

Public Choice Award 2024

Public Choice Award 2024

What Can I Do !?

University: SRH Berlin University Of Applied Sciences,Berlin School of Design and Communication

Country: Germany

Client: In-house Project

Student: Nimisha Priya

Summary:
"What Can I do!?" is an innovative hybrid service aimed at eliminating the misconception
surrounding clothing donation, traditionally viewed as an altruistic act. In light of the relentless damage inflicted by the fast fashion industry, this product offers a holistic ecosystem designed to empower users, cultivate conscious decision making and foster a community committed to reshaping the narrative for a more sustainable future both socially and environmentally. Historically, clothing donation was perceived as a charitable gesture, serving the practical purpose of assisting the less fortunate. However, the rise of fast fashion has transformed this narrative into a grim reality, with overconsumption leading to the disposal of vast quantities of clothing.

Shockingly, statistics reveal that approximately 80% of the staggering 92 million tonnes of clothing produced annually find their way into landfills or incinerators, exacerbating environmental degradation.

Professional Commercial Finalist

Professional Commercial Finalist

Designing Professional and Empathetic Barrier-free Banking Services in Taiwan, Joining Hands with Industry Peers to Break Through Competitive Mindset, Comprehensively Implementing Inclusive Finance

Company: Taipei Fubon Commercial Bank Co., Ltd.

Country: Taiwan

Client: OurCityLove Social Enterprise Co., Ltd, Taiwan

Summary:
For financial customers, an accessible environment means that everyone can make convenient and independent choices, including sign language communication for the hearing-impaired, audio reading services and signature assistance for the visually impaired, using easy-to-read financial service manuals in advance to reduce anxiety, and elderly individuals over 65 can easily understand the business process through explanatory enlarged graphic and text designs on transaction. Taipei Fubon Bank has steadily implemented these services over the past three years as part of its inclusive financial service concept.

Taipei Fubon Bank seeks to bring everyone into a financial-friendly service network and become the first financial institution to break through competitive thinking. As of April 2024, 26 hearing-impaired customers had used sign language translation services at Taipei Fubon Bank branches. Over 1,800 people with disabilities use Taipei Fubon Bank's signature and reading assistance tools to exercise their right to sign and read, thereby improving their quality of life. Furthermore, over 9,000 people with intellectual disabilities or those in need have used Taipei Fubon Bank's simple guides to practice interaction processes with the bank before transactions, reducing fear and avoidance of dealing with the bank.

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