A couple of years ago the rumour around Service Design was mostly coming from the avant garde in the creative industry. Since then it has gained a lot of more traction in ‘bigger industry’ and academia.  One of the often heard claims is that the design-driven and human-centered approach in Service Design adds a new influx to traditional modes of innovation. However, these claims are mostly coming from the people doing Service Design themselves, so what’s the evidence for this claim to fame?

 In 2011 the Dutch government decided to invest in the CRISP programme; a national 4 year research program wherein universities, industry and creative industry collaborated. The main focus of the programme was to create knowledge to validate and support the more strategic role of creativity in innovation for society and the economy.  

The central keyword in this programme was Product Service Systems, which is very much related to Service Design. In 8 large scale projects several Product Service Systems have been developed and scrutinised.  

Apart from the individual results of each of these projects, four overarching patterns or themes have been identified. These seem to be key to the strategic role of Service Design in innovation. The themes are: Embracing Complexity; Designing Relationships, Orchestration; and Strategic Value.  

After collaborating and studying for a couple of years, it is now time for the wider community to benefit from the outcomes of the programme. The next upcoming Service Design Work Out will share and discuss the themes that emerged from the final review of the CRISP projects. After an introduction to the key themes by a panel of guests, we will have a joint conversation about the resonance of these themes in the service design community.