History and evolution of service design
Service design may be a distinct discipline that has emerged relatively recently, but its roots can be traced back up to a century ago and can be summed up with this timeline:
- Early 20th century: Industrial designers like Raymond Loewy and Henry Dreyfuss begin applying design principles to improve consumer goods.
- 1960s: The shift towards services in the economy leads to the recognition of the need to apply design principles to services.
- 1980s: The term "service design" is coined by Lynn Shostack, and the first service design agencies are established in Europe.
- 1990s-2000s: Service design evolves as a discipline with the growth of the service economy and digital technologies.[1]
Today, service design is an established field with a growing number of practitioners and academic programs. It is recognized as a key approach for improving the quality and efficiency of services and is used in a wide range of industries. With the continued growth of the service sector and the increasing importance of customer experience, service design is likely to continue to evolve and play a critical role in the design of services in the future. Not to forget, modern service delivery is now more dependent on digital technology than it has ever been in the past.
