Service Design intensive

Frank Spillers

25-year UX and Service Design Leader

This course is popular

10 people enrolled last week.

Go beyond service blueprints, learn full-stack Service Design

Service design is often reduced to workshops and diagrams. That is frustrating and limiting. It's tactical; it limits the value you can produce.

Many designers are hired to execute, not influence.
Yes, they map journeys.
And, they fill in blueprints.
But they lack the authority to shape decisions.

Leaders want to know:
“Where is the business value?”
“Why does this slow delivery?”
“Why aren't users getting it?”

This course tackles the tactical-versus-strategic gap directly, from "front stage to backstage".

You'll learn how services work across policy, product, operations, technology & your org.

You will learn how to:

  • Diagnose service problems, not just symptoms

  • Link user pain to cost, risk, and failure demand

  • Use service design to influence priorities and trade-offs

  • Work credibly with product, engineering, and ops

  • Move from tactical output to strategic impact

This is for designers stuck in execution mode.
And for teams under pressure to move faster.

You will leave with:

  • Clear tactics for adding value, not theater

  • Tested methods for stakeholder constraints

  • Confidence to lead service decisions, not decorate them

If you want your work to change outcomes, not just use templates, this course is for you.

What you’ll learn

You will learn how services actually operate in delivery. Not the idealised version. You will learn to see the whole system.

  • You will learn to see the full system, not isolated touchpoints. Stop treating the symptoms. Identify and design for business value.

  • Use user research to contextualize user problems. Learn how to frame problems correctly and zoom in and out to influence stakeholders.

  • Understand strategic v tactical SD and how to do both to amplify business and user value. Work on a live project to apply your learning.

  • Build blueprints tied to live delivery decisions. Reveal handoffs, bottlenecks, and risk points. Design customer and employee experiences.

  • Move beyond UX and digital to accommodate service-product experiences that scale across channels and ecosystems.

  • Create service blueprints that align teams and unblock progress.

  • Prototype services, not just interfaces. Learn low-fi service design techniques for rapid feedback.

  • Apply your service prototypes, ensuring they align with user needs and deliver seamless experiences.

  • Learn how to design for and test intangible service interfaces and intangible value.

Learn directly from Frank

Frank Spillers

Frank Spillers

I’ve led AI-first service design across government, enterprise, and start-ups.

Recently led Service Design (AI Frontiers) @ UK Government Digital Service and:
Nike
NYC.gov
THE WORLD BANK GROUP
Elsevier
Microsoft

Who this course is for

  • Service Designers or Service Owners looking to polish their game

  • People who work with UX processes or Service Designers

  • Career pivot or up-skill- learn new skills as a User Researcher, BA, Product Manager etc.

Course syllabus

4 live sessions • 4 lessons

Week 1

Jan 7—Jan 11

    Jan

    7

    Session 1: Managing Service Design + Problem Framing

    Wed 1/75:00 PM—7:00 PM (UTC)

    Level of Zoom

    1 item

    Week 1 homework: Do 3 fun Service Safaris

    1 item

    Choose your capstone project focus

    0 items

Week 2

Jan 12—Jan 18

    Jan

    14

    Session 2: Deciphering the Problem Space

    Wed 1/145:00 PM—7:00 PM (UTC)

Schedule

Live sessions

1-2 hrs / week

    • Wed, Jan 7

      5:00 PM—7:00 PM (UTC)

    • Wed, Jan 14

      5:00 PM—7:00 PM (UTC)

    • Wed, Jan 21

      5:00 PM—7:00 PM (UTC)

    • Wed, Jan 28

      5:00 PM—7:00 PM (UTC)

Projects

1-2 hrs / week

Working on guided activities towards a Capstone-style project (you can use to track your learning progress and add to your portfolio).

Async content

1-2 hrs / week

Review recorded content including an Interviews with NASA Service Design lead and Director of Service Design Gov Canada.

Testimonials

  • I gathered a tremendous amount of insight; some of them are how to create and execute UX strategies which are aligned with an organisation's overall strategy and business values...and how to support wider UX teams, respectively how to effectively hire for, position and empower such teams. I highly can recommend this course

    Testimonial author image

    Patrick Frank

    Sr. Innovation Manager

Frequently asked questions