Day 1 of Louis Rosenfeld’s Advancing Service Design conference wrapped. The talks left me inspired, questioning, and reflecting.
John Cutler: Navigating Change Without Burning Out
John’s insight that “everyone is circling around different models” for the same topic really struck a chord with me. Whether it’s software architecture, value streams, or customer journeys, each model solves a different problem. But the lack of consultation between models often creates disconnects. For example, how often is architecture built without considering the experience? Should we all work from the same model? Probably not. But better collaboration across disciplines feels essential to me.
Laura Smith & Tom Gayler: Filling the Gaps
“Service designers need to fill the gaps in what others can’t do,” said the team at Unboxed. I hear this a lot—it’s akin to connecting the dots. But is filling the gaps truly our job? Do others see these gaps, and do they even want us to fill them? Sometimes I wonder if this mindset limits our ability to truly collaborate.
Gina Mendolia: Connecting the Dots in Complex Systems
Speaking of connecting dots… Gina suggested we can’t always connect the dots ourselves. Instead, we create the conditions for others to connect them—or at least help pull them closer together. This idea of fostering collaboration resonated deeply. Service design tools highlight how the experience connects to the business, but it’s the methods—highly collaborative by nature—that bring disparate groups together in meaningful ways.
Carol Massa: Designing for Healthcare
Carol reminded us that in industries like healthcare, the stakes are so high that design is never the top priority—and that’s okay. Keeping patients alive will always come first. As designers, our role is to support, not overshadow, and to understand that innovation often lives in the margins of what feels possible.
Rebecca Gimenez: Service Design at Airbnb
Hearing Rebecca talk about the evolution of Airbnb’s service design team brought me full circle. I remember Rebecca Sinclair sharing Airbnb’s narrative framework back in 2013, and Gimenez filled in the gaps of what’s happened since. Her team of five supports service experiences and business capabilities, a spectrum I loved seeing. She’s done amazing work to operationalize service design at Airbnb to make it more sustainable, and respected. Very inspiring!
Overall Takeaway
For me, today’s lessons all point back to the long game of developing service design. Falling too deeply in love with the methods—or even the idea of “service design” itself—can get in the way. Trust is built by being collaborative, addressing the problems others care about, and showing what works—regardless of what we call it.
And lastly, facilitation is a HUGE part of service design. To make connections across the experience, you need to build connections between people. And that requires strong facilitation skills.