Service Design
04 / Touchpoints & Prototype
Key question
How does the new service feel?
A service meets people at many touchpoints: on the website, in the app, at the counter, on the phone, by email. Designers ensure that these points come together to tell a coherent story. Whether an idea works only truly shows in the prototype.
Learning objective: You can coordinate touchpoints across all channels, identify friction, and prototype a service using simple methods.
Every touchpoint tells a story.
4.1 / Designing touchpoints
Every contact counts.
A touchpoint is any moment where a person comes into contact with the service. There are three rules for good touchpoints.
01
Sure
Every touchpoint answers the question being asked at that moment.
02
Shortly
Tone of voice, design and information are consistent across all channels.
03
Connected
Nothing is lost when switching channels, such as transferring a booking from the app to the counter.
This is where service design and corporate design come together: a design system ensures that all touchpoints feel cohesive and seamless.
Transitions are the tricky parts.
4.2 / Identifying fractions
Where the channel changes, something is lost.
A touchpoint matrix shows which channels are used during each phase. The transitions are particularly important: anyone who books in the app and then goes to the counter doesn't want to have to explain everything all over again.
A disconnect occurs where information is missing or contradictory, or where people are forced to switch channels against their will. Disconnects that affect many people take priority.
Play through instead of discussing.
4.3 / Prototyping services
Play through instead of discussing.
Services can be tested early and cost-effectively. In a desktop walkthrough, the service is played through with figurines on a map. In role-play, people take on the roles of the customer and members of staff. Paper prototypes of signs, tickets, or screens make the experience tangible.
A Minimum Viable Service tests the idea in real, everyday life, but on a small scale: such as a new returns process for a single weekend, with a handwritten sign and one person helping out.
Testing Klein in real everyday life.
Exercise
A service being tested
Task: Develop a solution for the biggest pain point of the Rhein bicycle parking station and test it.
STEP 1
Create the touchpoint matrix in the tool and highlight the drop-offs.
STEP 2
Outline a solution for the most critical friction point, across all affected channels.
STEP 3
Play through the solution in a desktop walkthrough or a two-person role play.
STEP 4
Note down what works and what you need to change.
Evaluation: What did running through it reveal that you wouldn't have seen at your desk?