Market Update: How much do Service Designers earn in Australia, 2022

What skills are needed for Service Design?

Service Design is a multifaceted role that calls for a unique blend of skills and capabilities. Five of the most important skills that a Service Designer can have at their disposal include:

• Empathy: At the very heart of the Service Design process is empathy and a burning desire to improve people’s lives. Service Designers need the ability to listen and engage with their users, so they can explore different perspectives and experiences. Service Designers often create Customer Journey Maps, which allow them to visualise step-by-step how a customer will interact with a service. 
• User research: Any Service Design project will always begin with research, whether analytical or anecdotal. It’s crucial that Service Designers know how to ask open questions that elicit a deeper understanding of people’s needs and behaviours. Capturing a customer’s perception of their experience relative to their goals will directly inform how a service can be improved upon. Service Designers need to be able to analyse research data and turn insights into actionable solutions that can be incorporated into a service. 
• Communication: Service Design normally involves cross-functional collaboration, which means they need to be able to engage staff at all levels and introduce new concepts to colleagues and stakeholders. Communication and presentation skills are essential to relationship building, influencing others, and educating people about a Service Design vision.
• Prototyping & testing: Service Designers need to be able to bring ideas to life and test their practicality with early and inexpensive prototypes. Prototypes take many forms, from rapid and iterative, to physical and digital. Users will normally test out the prototype, giving Service Designers the chance to validate their design. User feedback will often determine which features are included in the final Service Blueprint.
• Strategic thinking: Covering a broad sweep of an organisation, Service Designers are responsible for ensuring that all staff, infrastructure and resources are strategically aligned with a service vision. They need to hold a high-level view of a service in its totality, while also keeping a watchful eye on the details. Service Designers tend to be strong facilitators, who strategically coordinate the efforts of different teams and departments.