Service Design Award Winners & Finalists

The Service Design Award, curated by the Service Design Network, is the first international service design award to recognise the service design community's achievements in both the public and private sectors.

Join us on October 5, 2023, at the Service Design Global Conference, where the Award Ceremony will take place and winners will be announced!

The SDN is incredibly pleased to announce that Service Design Award 2023 finalists have been selected by our international jury of service design experts.

Nineteen projects, which represent the global benchmark for a world-class service design, have been shortlisted in the three categories of Professional Commercial, Professional Non-profit/Public Sector, and Student. Because of their exceptional work and project contributions, we are taking our industry to new levels!

Check out finalist e-posters!

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

Professional Commercial Finalist

Professional Commercial Finalist

Designing for unexpected and stressful medical situations: A patient portal that gives reassurance when facing medical assistance abroad

Company: Koos Service Design

Client: Eurocross Assistance

Country: The Netherlands

Summary: Imagine you are on holiday with your loved ones and all of a sudden an accident happens. You are in need of medical help in a foreign country, a highly stressful and emotional situation in an unfamiliar environment. So what do you do?

As a Dutch emergency healthcare response centre that provides worldwide medical
assistance to over 40.000 patients every year, Eurocross wanted to make sure they are the ones being relied on. From assessing their medical situation to arranging the payment of their treatment and even transporting them back home when needed. All of this, while making sure the patients are in control and trust the process. And, on the other hand, ensure that the people on the other side of the line have the right direction to give and conditions to give full attention to each situation in the peak of the holiday season.

Professional Commercial Finalist

Professional Commercial Finalist

Designing to Help Save Lives – Transforming Midwifery Education with Quality, Scalable Solutions

Company: Laerdal Medical

Client: In-house project

Country: Norway

Summary: The service is a subscription-based midwifery learning solution offering a low-dose, high frequency competency training, supported by a digital tool, complemented with optional maternity training kit, complete with manikins and essential equipment.

Challenge: Every year, more than 300,000 maternal and 2.5 million newborn deaths occur worldwide (WHO). By fully investing in midwifery-led programs, 4.3 million lives could be saved per year by 2035 (UNFPA, WHO, ICM). However, we face a shortage of a million midwives worldwide. This project identified gaps in global midwifery education landscape and our existing portfolio to co-design a new solution helping achieve coverage in new markets.

Professional Commercial Finalist

Professional Commercial Finalist

Experience model for the network of robotic click-and-collect drives

Company: Cogision

Client: Retail Robotics

Country: Poland

Summary: Our client developed an automated pick-up solution for online grocery shopping delivery that can replace traditional pick-up points. The initial challenge was: “Designing the magical experience that would redefine the delivery of groceries
and would become a well-known benchmark for the whole category”.

The solution was designed for inhabitants of bigger cities with Paris as the first location. Our main objectivewas to implement the experience strategy that would make it more human, fast, and easy to use.

Professional Commercial Finalist

Professional Commercial Finalist

Fast Stream: A new post-pandemic digital service

Company: Cyber-Duck

Client: Civil Service Fast Stream

Country: UK

Summary: Fast Stream (FS) is the civil service’s scheme to provide graduates, career changers, and people in the civil service a fast track into leadership. Their goals are to optimise diversity in their organisation and identify candidates with leadership potential.

To achieve this, they needed to gain a deeper understanding of their users and identify why some groups are more/less likely to succeed. They also wanted to improve the process of running assessments for their operations team by transforming the service into a paperless digital experience, with excellent security and intuitive user journeys.

Professional Commercial Finalist

Professional Commercial Finalist

Inspiring Action for Teacher Retention from the Inside Out

Company: Accenture Song

Client: Tennessee Department of Education

Country: USA

Summary: The US is experiencing one of the most severe teacher shortages in our nation's history. American educators are losing autonomy in the classroom and gaining workload while salaries remain stagnant. Teaching as a profession suffers from a lack of respect and devaluation of the teacher experience. Children ultimately bear the effects when even the most passionate teachers consider leaving the profession.

Collaborating with a state education agency, we reimagined the teacher's experience
by developing strategies for increasing teacher retention.

Professional Commercial Finalist

Professional Commercial Finalist

Nemo: The Finnish Maritime Single Window

Company: Siili Solutions

Client: Fintraffic Vessel Traffic Service

Country: Finland

Summary: Nemo will be the national single window for maritime traffic in Finland, creating a neutral data platform for shipping and logistics and enabling building services of added value.

In Finland, 90% of foreign trade is carried by sea. 100 ships arrive in Finnish ports every day, submitting 20 mandatory notifications to the authorities. The data is monitored by more than 20 stakeholders, who communicate back and forth, submitting data manually and working in complex processes. The current Finnish system is outdated and prone to errors, requires multiple data submissions, and is incompatible with other national systems. European Union regulation (219/1239) harmonizes port operations across member states. Nemo will be the national single window for maritime traffic in Finland, enabling new services for added commercial value.

Professional Commercial Finalist

Professional Commercial Finalist

Transforming the US Health System: A toolkit for designing a new era of Alzheimer’s care

Company: Bridgeable

Client: Eli Lilly

Country: Canada

Summary: Preparing health systems around the world to respond to the growing Alzheimer’s patient population and advancements in early detection, diagnosis, and treatment is one of the most critical public health challenges of our time. The arrival of new treatment options and diagnostics on the horizon coupled with a projected influx of Alzheimer’s patients creates a heightened sense of urgency. However, many health systems are not ready.

We partnered alongside a pharmaceutical company working in the Alzheimer’s Disease space that was seeking to work with their health system partners as they prepare to increase their readiness to deliver Alzheimer’s Disease care.

Professional Non-Profit Finalist

Professional Non-Profit Finalist

Citizen Centric Police

Company: PwC Norway

Client: The Norwegian Police

Country: Norway

Summary: This project shows how the police in Norway takes a service design approach to strengthen the outside–in perspective in their governance, development and daily operations. The Citizen Centric Police Initiative aims to operationalise one of the police’s prioritized strategic areas: Improved service, increased availability and more efficient services to citizens. In 2021, the National Police Directorate received external funding from a public sector innovation stimulus programme, choosing “the entrant” as their supporting partner.

The approach was explorative, and followed a "triple diamond" design process: Firstly a
diagnose of the problem, then real-life experiments with citizen involvement, and finally a plan for implementation.

Professional Non-Profit Finalist

Professional Non-Profit Finalist

Court Filing Reinvented: From paper-based complexity to seamless digital experiences

Organisation: Government of Alberta and Court of King’s Bench

Client: In-House Project

Country: Canada

Summary: Riddled with centuries-old procedures and long, winding paper trails, filing is a court process ripe for service transformation. How can legal processes evolve to maximize value and efficiency for both the ministry and the people who need its services?

One of several digital transformation initiatives for the provincial government, our work started in the area of wills and estates law, where a deceased person’s executor applies to the Court for a grant allowing them to legally manage the estate. Roughly 8,400 applications are filed yearly, affecting more than 31,000 people.

Professional Non-Profit Finalist

Professional Non-Profit Finalist

Early Childhood Delivery Dashboard: integrated primary care for comprehensive early childhood development

Company: Futurar & Talking City

Client: Fundação Maria Cecilia Souto Vidigal

Country: Brazil

Summary: A citizen being considered as the same person by different public administration departments is a challenge for governments worldwide. In Brazil, a continental country with federative administration, 27 states, 5,558 municipalities, countless administrative subdivisions and enormous societal diversity, the challenges around silos and user-centricity are even higher.

How can we ensure that regardless of the "entrance gate", pregnant women, children aged 0 to 3 years and their caregivers are cared for in a comprehensive and integrated way?

Professional Non-Profit Finalist

Professional Non-Profit Finalist

Indigenous Youth Wellbeing Circles

Company: J5 Design

Client: United Way of Calgary and Area

Country: Canada

Summary: In 2022, United Way of Calgary and Area commissioned our service design firm to contribute to an initiative that aims to improve the wellbeing of youth using an established 25-year prevention strategy, Planet Youth, in conjunction with their collaborator Miskanawah Community Services Association. Our challenge was to provide a co-design framework and facilitation to support the client to achieve their Indigenous youth engagement goals within the Planet Youth initiative.

We began the project by consulting with seven Indigenous Elders representing different tribes. Through this consultation, we saw an opportunity to accomplish the client’s goals while engaging appropriately with our Indigenous colleagues and youth through “Wellbeing Circles”. The circles were based on co-design methodology and followed a design lab approach moving through phases of empathy, problem definition, ideation, and prototyping.

Professional Non-Profit Finalist

Professional Non-Profit Finalist

Kin-first Co-design in Child Welfare

Company: Bloom Works

Client: Washington State Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF)

Country: USA

Summary: This service co-design project set out to create a “kin-first” approach at a government agency tasked with the safety of children in a US state of over 7 million people. Historically, child welfare agencies have placed children in foster homes with parents selected and trained by the state.

The kin-first approach takes a different approach by placing children, when necessary, in
homes with relatives or non-relative adults with whom they have pre-existing relationships. This ensures they maintain contact with familiar faces and their own community members.

Professional Non-Profit Finalist

Professional Non-Profit Finalist

Setting a 2030 Vision for Resettlement from Prison into the Community

Organasation: The Ministry of Justice

Client: In-House

Country: UK

Summary: The project brought together 3 service designers and 3 policy makers to analyse the current state of the prison resettlement system and develop an ambitious but deliverable roadmap for long-term change.

In 2021, almost 80% of crime was committed by someone who had offended previously. The Ministry of Justice has estimated that reoffending costs society approximately £16.7 billion a year. With that in mind, in late 2022, a major UK government department wanted to establish a clear long-term vision for how people in prison are settled into prison, prepared for release, and resettled back into the community.

Student Finalist

Student Finalist

Blue Bird

Student team: Shambhavi Ojha, Aniket Chandekar, Anuj Malviya

University: International Institute of Information Technology Hyderabad

Country: India

Summary: Blue Bird is a digital platform designed to empower patients and families facing terminal illnesses. In India, where only 1 to 2% of the population currently has access to palliative care services compared to the global average of 14%, Blue Bird aims to bridge this significant gap.

With a focus on enhancing health literacy and understanding, Blue Bird offers solace, guidance, shared experiences, emotional support, and practical assistance to individuals and families in need. Through our comprehensive resources, users gain a deeper understanding of their conditions, available treatment options, and holistic care approaches.

Student Finalist

Student Finalist

Collaborative futures: Open citizenship and data experiences in 2032

Student team: Caroline Baumhauer, Anushree Chokappa, Leon Yegenoglu, Marily Papanastasatou, John Campbell

University: Glasgow School of Art

Country: UK

Summary: Collaborative Futures is a four - month design project in partnership with the
Innovation School at The Glasgow School of Art (GSA) and local stakeholder in Glasgow. This year’s brief is titled Glasgow’s Civic Futures: Open Citizenship & Data Experiences in 2032. It asks the question, “What if data-enabled experiences were embedded into our actual communities and neighbourhood environments of Glasgow in 2032?”

Aims and Outcomes: The research carried out builds on the existing and ongoing design-led,citizen-centred approach already operating in the city. It looks to explore how the context of an open government strategy can create a joined up approach to scaling this across the city and informing democratic decision-making.

Student Finalist

Student Finalist

Context

Student team: Amruta Supate, Claire Henery, Kasia Bruzda, Ivana Monson, and Madison Cilluffo

University: Royal College of Art

Country: UK

Summary: This project aims to better connect U.K. services to the Ukrainian refugee community and ultimately define a system that could be scaled to all refugees. A team of five co-designed a service concept entitled Context, a browser extension which helps newly arrived families find information in culturally relevant terms. Context was co-designed, developed and validated with members of the Ukrainian refugee community.

The forced displacement of people is one of the defining global challenges of the 21st
Century. At the end of 2021, 89.3 million people were displaced, including 27 million
refugees. Of the worldwide refugee population the United Kingdom hosts only 1%.

Student Finalist

Student Finalist

Operation Paws: A medical play service for alleviating operation anxiety in paediatric patients

Student team: Valeska Tan

University: National University of Singapore

Coutnry: Singapore

Summary: Paediatric patients often feel perioperative anxiety during first experiences with elective surgery. With limited stopgaps such as verbal reassurance and general dismissal of psychosocial wellbeing in hospitals, lack of preparation and unfamiliar environments leave patients helpless and distressed. Patients aged 4-9 and parents are vulnerable to resultant trauma, exacerbating pain and hampering medical compliance.

To understand their overall journeys and pain-points, I conducted interviews with past patients, parents and medical experts. Through collaborating with child life services from two paediatric hospitals, both comprising small teams of two to five therapists who provide behavioural care to distressed patients pre- operation, I also did field observations in paediatric wards.

Student Finalist

Student Finalist

Save Time, Save Lives

Student team: Ashleen Nee (Service Designer), Linda Klotzbach (Service Designer), YuYu Sun (Interaction Designer)

University: National College of Art and Design

Country: Ireland

Summary: Major trauma, which can result in prolonged disability or death, presents a complex challenge. Although most acute hospitals in Ireland accept trauma cases, regardless of their expertise, patients often require transfer to another hospital for definitive care. Unfortunately, this process can lead to delays in decision-making and treatment, resulting in poorer outcomes and avoidable disability or death.

To address these issues, our interdisciplinary design team collaborated with a prominent Irish hospital to enhance Major Trauma Care nationwide. Our design concept centres around supporting Trauma Bays, dedicated spaces for live-saving care.

Student Finalist

Student Finalist

Service Redesign: frictionless payment at Forsyth Farmers’ Market

Student team: Subin Cho, Carey Lin and Tirath Puni 

University: Savannah College of Art and Design

Country: USA

Summary: Students from the Savannah College of Art and Design conducted a Service Design project aimed at improving the local food justice organization Forsyth Farmers' Market (FFM) in Savannah, GA over the course of 6-8 weeks. The project followed Service Design principles to enhance the services offered by FFM and enable the organizers to improve their everyday operations.

The team started by immersing themselves in FFM's servicescape to best understand the system as is, eliminating prior assumptions. After mapping out the data, the team used the Ishikawa Diagram to analyze the root cause. Once identified, ideas and solutions were prioritized based on feasibility for the organization.

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