Episodes

  • Naming

    Naming
    Jul 3 2024

    In this episode of Service Design Principles, Guy and Daniele talk about the critical role of naming in service design. Daniele shares a story from his parents’ experience establishing a church in Switzerland, where an initial naming choice led to confusion. A renaming solved the issue and shaped the church’s identity.

    The discussion then moves to project naming. Daniele explains how names can set expectations and influence outcomes. He emphasizes the importance of names that convey vision and values, avoiding generic terms that might mislead stakeholders.

    Guy adds his perspective, recounting how different group names at a former job—councils, committees, working groups—helped clarify roles and responsibilities. The talk explores the balance between innovative and standard naming, using a tech company’s choice of a new product term as a case study.

    Listeners also hear about a well-known entertainment company’s unique naming conventions for visitors and employees, illustrating how thoughtful naming can shape experiences.

    The episode concludes with Daniele’s cautionary tale on the importance of easy-to-spell names, highlighting potential issues with misspellings. Tune in to learn more about the strategic significance of naming in service design.

    –

    00:00 Intro 01:11 Give Everything a Name 05:25 A project name can make or break a project 07:39 Councils, Committee, and Working Groups 10:47 Stop Inventing Silly Names for Standard Stuff 19:28 Don’t Assume That I Know How to Spell Your Company Name 23:20 Some History on “Neolux” 25:24 An Apple by any other Name 30:26 Summary 31:19 Outro 31:51 Credits - Thanks to Castopod.com

    AI generated episode summary

    Interested in the book, Service Design Principles 1-100? Check out the special offer just for podcast listeners.

    Support us with Value 4 Value

    Find out more about “Value 4 Value” here: https://value4value.info/

    Time - rate us on your preferred podcast platform, write a review, or submit your own service design principles or insights into the SDP in the books.

    Talent - Help promote the podcast on social media, produce some incidental music for the show, or suggest a way your talents can help.

    Treasure - use a modern podcast app to send us boost-a-grams or streaming value. We’ll recognize all contributions and comments in future episodes. Alternatively, make a traditional donation via Ko-Fi to help us cover our hosting and production costs.

    Get a modern podcast app: https://modernpodcastapps.com/

    Traditional donation: https://ko-fi.com/neoluxpodcasts https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=KCP8BRUHP3HZS

    Daniele Catalanotto is a service design practitioner, the author of the Service Design Principles series of books, and the founder of the Swiss Innovation Academy

    Guy Martin has worked with global companies and startups in a wide range of roles, including service delivery, corporate education, and leadership development.

    Music by Mikhail Smusev from Pixabay

    Thanks to Castopod, a Podcasting 2.0 and ActivityPub enabled host, for their support.

    A production of Neolux Consulting
    Show More Show Less
    33 mins
  • Workplace

    Workplace
    Jun 1 2024

    In this episode, Daniele and Guy talk about the Workplace, including the need for rest, practical ideas on how to manage workload and communication channels, and how there are many things everyone can do to make their workplace better, even if they aren’t in a position of authority.

    Note: We used a new service to record this episode, and I (Guy) neglected to set up my levels properly, so there are points where my audio is a little distorted. I tried to fix this as much as possible in “post”, but it’s still noticeable. Sorry for this drop in quality - it’s a valuable lesson learned!

    Chapters

    00:00:00 Workplace

    00:00:02 Intro

    00:01:15 Employee experience is an essential part of Service Design

    00:12:27 Work Can Wait

    00:20:57 The benefits of rest

    00:26:26 Employees Should Check Their Email Less Often

    00:32:58 Put Some Stupid Plants to Make Your Workplace Better

    00:34:28 Your Open Space Is Like Hell

    00:43:04 Mistakes Are Worthy Only If You Share Them

    00:48:21 Create a process of recognizing your colleagues

    00:51:50 A brief caveat for those in toxic environments

    00:56:17 You Need To Repeat a Behavior for 66 Days to Create a New Habit

    01:01:03 Authority does not a leader make

    01:06:19 Wrap up

    01:07:45 Credits - thanks to Castopod.com

    Mentioned

    • Leadership is Language - L. David Marquet
    • Atomic Habits - James Clear
    • Deep Work - Cal Newport

    Interested in the book, Service Design Principles 1-100? Check out the special offer just for podcast listeners.

    Support us with Value 4 Value

    Find out more about “Value 4 Value” here: https://value4value.info/

    Time - rate us on your preferred podcast platform, write a review, or submit your own service design principles or insights into the SDP in the books.

    Talent - Help promote the podcast on social media, produce some incidental music for the show, or suggest a way your talents can help.

    Treasure - use a modern podcast app to send us boost-a-grams or streaming value. We’ll recognize all contributions and comments in future episodes. Alternatively, make a traditional donation via Ko-Fi to help us cover our hosting and production costs.

    Get a modern podcast app: https://modernpodcastapps.com/

    Traditional donation: https://ko-fi.com/neoluxpodcasts https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=KCP8BRUHP3HZS

    Daniele Catalanotto is a service design practitioner, the author of the Service Design Principles series of books, and the founder of the Swiss Innovation Academy

    Guy Martin has worked with global companies and startups in a wide range of roles, including service delivery, corporate education, and leadership development.

    Music by Mikhail Smusev from Pixabay

    Thanks to Castopod, a Podcasting 2.0 and ActivityPub enabled host, for their support.

    A production of Neolux Consulting
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 8 mins
  • Technology

    Technology
    Apr 19 2024

    This episode Daniele and Guy take a look at Technology, and join most of the world to give our take on AI. We espouse the virtues of analog technology (pencil and paper), and look at why some bots are better then humans, and others make us feel betrayed.

    Chapters 00:00 Technology 00:02 Intro 00:42 Why do we sometimes struggle to make technology work for us? 02:31 Sometimes, Pen and Paper works best 07:46 Ambivalence about “AI” 15:20 Robots don’t have mirror neurons. 19:26 I prefer bots over fake humans (SDP 33) 22:12 Let me speak with a Human (SDP 34) 26:46 Why can’t I answer this email? (SDP 35) 32:53 The balance between user-friendliness and security. 33:52 IT is your peer with a different perspective. 35:39 Stick with the tools you already have. 39:28 …or maybe not. 44:16 It’s now time for websites that react to the context (SDP 36) 51:31 Outro 52:12 A small request.

    Mentioned in this episode:

    • Cal Newport - Deep Questions

    Interested in the book, Service Design Principles 1-100? Check out the special offer just for podcast listeners.

    Support us with Value 4 Value

    Find out more about “Value 4 Value” here: https://value4value.info/

    Time - rate us on your preferred podcast platform, write a review, or submit your own service design principles or insights into the SDP in the books.

    Talent - Help promote the podcast on social media, produce some incidental music for the show, or suggest a way your talents can help.

    Treasure - use a modern podcast app to send us boost-a-grams or streaming value. We’ll recognize all contributions and comments in future episodes. Alternatively, make a traditional donation via Ko-Fi to help us cover our hosting and production costs.

    Get a modern podcast app: https://modernpodcastapps.com/

    Traditional donation: https://ko-fi.com/neoluxpodcasts https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=KCP8BRUHP3HZS

    Daniele Catalanotto is a service design practitioner, the author of the Service Design Principles series of books, and the founder of the Swiss Innovation Academy

    Guy Martin has worked with global companies and startups in a wide range of roles, including service delivery, corporate education, and leadership development.

    Music by Mikhail Smusev from Pixabay

    Thanks to Castopod, a Podcasting 2.0 and ActivityPub enabled host, for their support.

    A production of Neolux Consulting
    Show More Show Less
    53 mins
  • Impersonal Service

    Impersonal Service
    Apr 3 2024

    This episode Guy Martin and Daniele Catalanotto go into what makes a service seem impersonal, and how organizations can make small changes to help their customers feel warmer about their interactions. Daniele tries to get a coffee from Starbucks, and we talk about hotels again.

    Chapters

    00:00 Intro

    00:48 Organizations are collections of humans

    01:49 Ask Unnecessary Emotional information

    04:43 Good salespeople understand the value of emotion

    06:30 It works even when we recognize it

    11:32 Different Levels of Service Design

    13:28 Some good advice when facing change and uncertainty

    15:19 Making It Personal Is Different For Every Culture

    18:01 Culture is more than just nationality

    23:41 Just Remember Me

    29:03 and for extra points, Remember My Preferences

    31:43 If you already have the information, use it!

    34:17 Outro

    Interested in the book, Service Design Principles 1-100? Check out the special offer just for podcast listeners.

    Support us with Value 4 Value

    Find out more about “Value 4 Value” here: https://value4value.info/

    Time - rate us on your preferred podcast platform, write a review, or submit your own service design principles or insights into the SDP in the books.

    Talent - Help promote the podcast on social media, produce some incidental music for the show, or suggest a way your talents can help.

    Treasure - use a modern podcast app to send us boost-a-grams or streaming value. We’ll recognize all contributions and comments in future episodes. Alternatively, make a traditional donation via Ko-Fi to help us cover our hosting and production costs.

    Get a modern podcast app: https://modernpodcastapps.com/

    Traditional donation: https://ko-fi.com/neoluxpodcasts https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=KCP8BRUHP3HZS

    Daniele Catalanotto is a service design practitioner, the author of the Service Design Principles series of books, and the founder of the Swiss Innovation Academy

    Guy Martin has worked with global companies and startups in a wide range of roles, including service delivery, corporate education, and leadership development.

    Music by Mikhail Smusev from Pixabay

    Thanks to Castopod, a Podcasting 2.0 and ActivityPub enabled host, for their support.

    A production of Neolux Consulting
    Show More Show Less
    35 mins
  • Pricing

    Pricing
    Feb 7 2024
    In this episode, we explore the nuanced relationship between pricing strategies and service design. The discussion highlights three key areas: Complex Pricing and User Interface Design: Daniele shares insights on how complex pricing can complicate user interfaces, using public transportation ticket machines as an example. He suggests that simplifying pricing could lead to more user-friendly interfaces. Innovative Pricing Models: The conversation covers innovative approaches to pricing, such as Switzerland’s “L’abonnement général” for public transport, and the simplicity and transparency of Basecamp’s pricing model for SaaS. These examples illustrate the benefits of straightforward pricing structures in enhancing customer experience. Psychological Impact of Pricing on Quality Perception: Daniele discusses how pricing affects customers’ perceptions of quality and engagement, sharing personal anecdotes about book pricing strategies. The episode delves into ethical considerations in pricing, emphasizing the importance of building meaningful relationships through thoughtful pricing strategies. Overall, the episode sheds light on the intricate role of pricing in service design, urging designers and businesses to consider how pricing strategies impact user experience, customer relationships, and perceived value. (Show summary by ChatGPT) 00:00 Intro 00:49 The Problem Is Not the Interface, It’s the Pricing 04:48 L’abonnement Général 07:19 37 Signals 07:50 Basecamp Pricing 09:41 Bigger Organizations 10:21 Trade-offs 12:04 Show Me Your Damn Pricing 13:20 Provide recurring services? You’re in a relationship. 16:15 The Price Changes The Quality Without Any Other Change 22:17 A higher price gives you room 25:55 Guy doesn’t answer the question. 27:20 Pricing in threes 29:11 BANT Framework 30:04 Quantitative elements have lots of research and data 32:23 Some takeaways 34:21 Wrap up Swiss GA Travelcard - “l’abonnement général”- https://www.sbb.ch/en/tickets-offers/travelcards/ga-travelcard.html Fair Tiq - https://fairtiq.com/en/ 37 Signals - https://37signals.com/ Basecamp - https://basecamp.com/pricing BANT Framework - Budget Authority Need Timing (Search for “BANT framework alternative” for other frameworks) Interested in the book, Service Design Principles 1-100? Check out the special offer just for podcast listeners. Support us with Value 4 Value Find out more about “Value 4 Value” here: https://value4value.info/ Time - rate us on your preferred podcast platform, write a review, or submit your own service design principles or insights into the SDP in the books. Talent - Help promote the podcast on social media, produce some incidental music for the show, or suggest a way your talents can help. Treasure - use a modern podcast app to send us boost-a-grams or streaming value. We’ll recognize all contributions and comments in future episodes. Alternatively, make a traditional donation via Ko-Fi to help us cover our hosting and production costs. Get a modern podcast app: https://modernpodcastapps.com/ Traditional donation: https://ko-fi.com/neoluxpodcasts https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=KCP8BRUHP3HZS Daniele Catalanotto is a service design practitioner, the author of the Service Design Principles series of books, and the founder of the Swiss Innovation Academy Guy Martin has worked with global companies and startups in a wide range of roles, including service delivery, corporate education, and leadership development. Music by Mikhail Smusev from Pixabay Thanks to Castopod, a Podcasting 2.0 and ActivityPub enabled host, for their support. A production of Neolux Consulting
    Show More Show Less
    35 mins
  • Introducing Service Design Principles 301-400

    Introducing Service Design Principles 301-400
    Jan 25 2024

    Guy Martin talks with Daniele Catalanotto about the release of his latest book on Service Design Principles. The conversation starts with Daniele clarifying what service design principles mean: ideas or advice aimed at simplifying and enhancing human experiences. The books are described as a “toilet books” - ideal for short, insightful reads leading to brief moments of reflection.

    Daniele reveals that this fourth volume in the series adopts a fresh approach by incorporating feedback and insights from a global tour where he engaged with service design experts. This iteration is not just a book but a comprehensive media experience, featuring around 10 hours of video content. It integrates expert discussions directly into the narrative, allowing readers to explore topics more deeply online.

    We also touch on the diverse content and the inclusion of a curated list of resources at the book’s end, making it a valuable tool for both casual reading and in-depth exploration of service design.

    Highlighting the communal aspect of this launch, Daniele invites listeners to a unique party, marking the book’s release. Unlike typical launch events, this gathering aims to foster a broader discussion on service design, encouraging questions and interactions with experts from around the world.

    https://store.swissinnovation.academy/book-launch-party-service-design-principles-301-400

    00:00 Intro 00:24 What is a Service Design Principle anyway? 02:17 What’s different about this volume? 03:42 So much content! 05:03 It’s a party 06:49 Thanks giving 08:20 Outro and Event information

    Interested in the book, Service Design Principles 1-100? Check out the special offer just for podcast listeners.

    Support us with Value 4 Value

    Find out more about “Value 4 Value” here: https://value4value.info/

    Time - rate us on your preferred podcast platform, write a review, or submit your own service design principles or insights into the SDP in the books.

    Talent - Help promote the podcast on social media, produce some incidental music for the show, or suggest a way your talents can help.

    Treasure - use a modern podcast app to send us boost-a-grams or streaming value. We’ll recognize all contributions and comments in future episodes. Alternatively, make a traditional donation via Ko-Fi to help us cover our hosting and production costs.

    Get a modern podcast app: https://modernpodcastapps.com/

    Traditional donation: https://ko-fi.com/neoluxpodcasts https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=KCP8BRUHP3HZS

    Daniele Catalanotto is a service design practitioner, the author of the Service Design Principles series of books, and the founder of the Swiss Innovation Academy

    Guy Martin has worked with global companies and startups in a wide range of roles, including service delivery, corporate education, and leadership development.

    Music by Mikhail Smusev from Pixabay

    Thanks to Castopod, a Podcasting 2.0 and ActivityPub enabled host, for their support.

    A production of Neolux Consulting
    Show More Show Less
    9 mins
  • Waiting...

    Waiting...
    Jan 16 2024
    In this first “long-form” episode of the Service Design Principles podcast, we explore how the perception of time influences people’s experiences of waiting. We use examples such as train journeys and elevator lobbies to illustrate how changing the environment or offering distractions can alter perceptions of waiting time. Then we go into the concept of ‘cooling-off’ periods in various contexts, like medical decisions and major purchases, emphasising the need for waiting in certain decision-making processes. The conversation shifts to practical strategies in customer service, focusing on modern solutions like callback options in hotlines and designing more thoughtful on-hold experiences. We highlight the importance of transparency and communication in setting realistic expectations and providing clear information to enhance customer satisfaction. We talk about the potential of using waiting time creatively, suggesting that waiting periods can be transformed into opportunities for education and engagement, offering examples where waiting time is utilised to provide informative content or entertainment. The role of smartphones in waiting scenarios is also discussed. We acknowledge the prevalent and almost addictive use of mobile devices but suggest that allowing phone usage in waiting areas can be beneficial. We then conclude that waiting can actually have a strategic value in service design. When managed appropriately, waiting can be an integral and constructive part of the service experience. Chapters: 00:00 Welcome00:29 Today’s Episode - Waiting01:47 The role of perception03:44 Cooling off periods07:12 How can we make make waiting more tolerable10:09 Small courtesies13:00 Some classic examples of changing perceptions15:25 A mental framework for waiting18:59 Under Promise, Over Deliver20:24 Waiting time isn’t just about waiting time.25:19 SDP 18 and 19 - Smartphones and waiting30:30 Why are we waiting?34:42 Waiting can encourage people to learn to fish, instead of just getting fish handed to them37:15 Waiting as a brand decision41:20 Outro Rory Sutherland TED talk: https://www.ted.com/talks/rory_sutherland_life_lessons_from_an_ad_man New York Times article on increasing walking times at Houston airport reduced complaints about luggage delivery times: https://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/19/opinion/sunday/why-waiting-in-line-is-torture.html (Sorry for the paywall - this was the earliest source I could find for this) Interested in the book, Service Design Principles 1-100? Check out the special offer just for podcast listeners. Support us with Value 4 Value Find out more about “Value 4 Value” here: https://value4value.info/ Time - rate us on your preferred podcast platform, write a review, or submit your own service design principles or insights into the SDP in the books. Talent - Help promote the podcast on social media, produce some incidental music for the show, or suggest a way your talents can help. Treasure - use a modern podcast app to send us boost-a-grams or streaming value. We’ll recognize all contributions and comments in future episodes. Alternatively, make a traditional donation via Ko-Fi to help us cover our hosting and production costs. Get a modern podcast app: https://modernpodcastapps.com/ Traditional donation: https://ko-fi.com/neoluxpodcasts https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=KCP8BRUHP3HZS Daniele Catalanotto is a service design practitioner, the author of the Service Design Principles series of books, and the founder of the Swiss Innovation Academy Guy Martin has worked with global companies and startups in a wide range of roles, including service delivery, corporate education, and leadership development. Music by Mikhail Smusev from Pixabay Thanks to Castopod, a Podcasting 2.0 and ActivityPub enabled host, for their support. A production of Neolux Consulting
    Show More Show Less
    42 mins
  • Program Note – A Change of Format

    Program Note – A Change of Format
    Dec 22 2023

    Program Note - Change of format.

    Previous episodes have been based on a single episode for a single principle.

    Future episodes will be based on a single episode for a group of principles in a single theme.

    If you have actionable feedback or suggestions, or just want to tell us what we’re doing right - please let us know at podcast@neoluxconsulting.com.

    Interested in the book, Service Design Principles 1-100? Check out the special offer just for podcast listeners.

    Support us with Value 4 Value

    Find out more about “Value 4 Value” here: https://value4value.info/

    Time - rate us on your preferred podcast platform, write a review, or submit your own service design principles or insights into the SDP in the books.

    Talent - Help promote the podcast on social media, produce some incidental music for the show, or suggest a way your talents can help.

    Treasure - use a modern podcast app to send us boost-a-grams or streaming value. We’ll recognize all contributions and comments in future episodes. Alternatively, make a traditional donation via Ko-Fi to help us cover our hosting and production costs.

    Get a modern podcast app: https://modernpodcastapps.com/

    Traditional donation: https://ko-fi.com/neoluxpodcasts https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=KCP8BRUHP3HZS

    Daniele Catalanotto is a service design practitioner, the author of the Service Design Principles series of books, and the founder of the Swiss Innovation Academy

    Guy Martin has worked with global companies and startups in a wide range of roles, including service delivery, corporate education, and leadership development.

    Music by Mikhail Smusev from Pixabay

    Thanks to Castopod, a Podcasting 2.0 and ActivityPub enabled host, for their support.

    A production of Neolux Consulting
    Show More Show Less
    2 mins