popular award

IDEO: Service Design (A)

Published 07 Jan 2005
Reference 5276
Topic Operations
Industry Consulting
Region Global
Length 21 page(s)
popular
Prizes & Awards

2023 The Case Centre Best-selling Classic Case in the Category 'Production and Operations Management'

2022 The Case Centre Best-selling Classic Case in the Category 'Production and Operations Management'

2021 The Case Centre Best-selling Classic Case in the Category 'Production and Operations Management'

2021 The Case Centre Best-selling Case in the Category 'Production and Operations Management'

2020 The Case Centre Best-selling Classic Case in the Category 'Production and Operations Management'

2017 The Case Centre Best-selling Case in the Category 'Production and Operations Management'

2015 The Case Centre Best-selling Case in the Category 'Production and Operations Management'

2014 The Case Centre Best-selling Case in the Category 'Production and Operations Management'

2013 The Case Centre Best-selling Case in the Category 'Production and Operations Management'

2012 The Case Centre Best-selling Case in the Category 'Production and Operations Management'

2011 The Case Centre Best-selling Case in the Category 'Production and Operations Management'

2010 The Case Centre Best-selling Case in the Category 'Production and Operations Management'

2009 The Case Centre Best-selling Case in the Category 'Production and Operations Management'

2008 The Case Centre Best-selling Case in the Category 'Production and Operations Management'

Winner of the Case Centre Awards and Competitions 2008 in the Category 'Production and Operations Management'

2007 The Case Centre Best-selling Case in the Category 'Production and Operations Management'

Summary

This case describes how IDEO adapt its famed innovation process (developed to design new products) to the particularities of services and their design. The case series describes four service design projects to show how IDEO has developed and codified a series of design methods, which constitute a toolbox from which teams can pick and choose depending on the innovation project.

Teaching objectives

The case study aims to: Reinforce the notion of the five-step "Innovation Process" that can be used for any design project, whether it is a service or a product. (The five steps of the IDEO Process are: Observe Synthesize Generate Ideas Refine Implement). Highlight the differences between product and service design, and the subtle differences in the respective processes. Introduce the notion of IDEO "methods" as a set of interchangeable tools to be used according to the type of project being worked on, and identify when is it best to use them. Introduce the concept of knowledge brokering and examine the ways in which the transfer of knowledge is carried out across a distributed organization.

Keywords
  • Innovation management
  • New product and service development
  • Brainstorming
  • Prototyping
  • Knowledge brokering