In-house service design teams have the great advantage of being placed with all other moving parts of the organisation. Each project becomes an opportunity to change the organisation and to influence how they think and work (Blomkvist, 2015).

It is inspiring to see public institutions embracing service design. However, for those within less mature organisations, such examples may feel distant or difficult to apply. This article aims to support and empower service design champions in organisations which are just beginning their service design journey.

Building a service design team from scratch is a rare privilege which can also be seen as a daunting prospect. This article talks about the lessons learnt in undertaking this challenge at an organisation that was completely unfamiliar with design and research and describes the conditions which allowed the team to be established and flourish.

Much of the common design discourse is centred on improving our craft with time often disproportionately invested in polishing our processes and outputs. Yet, in the context of continuous organisational change, is this enough to achieve outcomes for our customers, colleagues and communities?

In-house service design teams encounter the challenge of navigating internal boundaries and bridging fragmented parts of the organisational system. This article presents a conceptual framework to explain how these teams can create the necessary conditions for boundary permeability, a critical factor for their success.

The reality of working in-house as a service designer is that most people the designer must work closely with don’t know what service design is. We need practical tactics to survive and thrive in environments where engagements with us perhaps do not come naturally. A powerful self-introduction with colleagues is one such tactic.

Embarking on a career as an in-house service designer is both exciting and challenging. It’s not just about creating aesthetically pleasing touchpoints, but about integrating holistic design solutions into the corporate ecosystem.

“What is often lacking is not creativity…but putting ideas to work.” — Theodore Levitt.

‘The Circle’ is an international community of in-house service design professionals meeting monthly to share, commiserate and learn.

Most of my professional life has been spent working outside client organisations. Earlier on in my career, I worked in design studios and later in design agencies and consultancies. Working from the outside had a certain edge to it. About a decade ago, I began contracting, moving frequently between organisations, both through consultancies and in direct engagements.

Not all service design clients are the same. As a service designer, you need to adjust your engagement model accordingly, if you want to be successful. As a service design consulting firm, we have learned these lessons over the years while developing our in-house model. To determine the best approach for different client types, we developed a simple animal framework as part of our in-house model. The framework can be useful to other service design agencies, but also for organisations that hire agencies. Knowing the type of organisation you’re working with – or, if you’re an organisation, knowing your type – will help the engagement run smoothly and be successful.

In-house service design teams can support larger organisations to be responsive to changing customer expectations and technological advancements. There is extensive tacit knowledge unique to both establishing an in-house service design team and iterating its practices so that its work is valued and impactful.

Service design is increasingly recognised as crucial for shaping and improving customer experience. This article draws on personal experience with in-house teams in consumer finance institutions, exploring challenges, strategies and comparisons between internal and external experts. It also covers measuring success, building strong relationships and staying innovative. Although the earnings shared in this article come from experience in financial companies, we consider them to be equally applicable to other industries

Education is one of the last domains untouched by meaningful digital transformation. The market is flooded with outdated, uninspiring tools and innovation is stifled by systemic barriers and traditional practices that prioritise compliance over progress. What if we could combine the superpowers of educators and designers to revolutionise learning? That’s exactly what we’re doing at Sora Schools – reimagining education from the ground up by embedding service design thinking into every part of our organisation. This approach enhances operational efficiency, empowers teachers with advanced digital tools, transforms student learning experiences and deepens parental involvement. Our school is built around the student – not the other way around – because one size does not fit all.

Creating the conditions for in-house service designers to flourish

Whether done as an in-house or external service designer, embedding and scaling service design practice in an organisation is hard. It’s often said that ‘you have to do service design to get it’, but how can we help people experience this way-of-working, and learn its methods and mindsets? One way is to use a format which is familiar to many service designers – jamming.

Service designers can use their competencies and skills to create positive change within an organisation in many ways. In this article I share experiences from three roles in which I was able to integrate service design thinking into an organisational culture, navigating between operational, tactical and strategic levels.

Unique challenges and opportunities exist when working as a service designer within an organisation. Building on insights I gained after moving to an in-house role at adidas three years ago, this article will highlight essential skills beyond traditional design, while still emphasising that continuous learning, persistence and commitment can empower you to make a real impact.

Profile Interview –– Lea Sevšek | Jesse Grimes

In-house service designers operate as integral parts of their respective organisations, carrying a deep understanding of their cultures, processes and long-term goals, and enabling them to craft appropriate solutions.