Service Design Show Service Design Show

What does it take to become a great design leader...

Regardless of whether or not it's in your official job title, you're already leading to some degree.

You are leading because your work is to deliver change.

Change because we want to break free from outdated mental models that can't solve today's challenges.

But what kind of leadership is needed to transform our organizations from the dehumanizing machines they are today into adaptable living beings?

Returning guest Marzia Arico has some valuable perspectives on this.

With a PhD in Organizational Studies and experience leading complex projects at LiveWork, she has many juicy insights to share with us.

In this episode, we explore the emergence of a new, more empathetic leadership style that's quite different from the traditional notion of leadership.

We discuss how to present ourselves confidently in our work, even when imposter syndrome is lurking around the corner.

And we also delve into whether we should be explicit about the change we seek make or take a more trojan horse approach to influencing things.

This is a must-listen episode for anyone who wants to step up, take charge, and offer an alternative to the current leaders who aren't doing what's required today.

This conversation is a powerful reminder that we are all setting an example. Each and every day. So let's be intentional about what we want to put into the world.

Take care and keep making a positive impact.

~ Marc

--- [ 1. GUIDE ] ---



00:00 Welcome to Episode 203

03:30 Welcome back Marzia

04:30 Machines to Living Beings

11:30 What made her want to make the change

17:00 How to quickly build your confidence

21:30 From Machines to Living Orgs

30:30 Onboard with How, Not What

33:30 Conversation with the oblivious

40:00 Empathizing with the machine

42:00 The example of technology

46:00 Fast-tracking to leadership

47:00 Being strategic when you talk

50:30 Discussions to ponder

51:30 Food for thought

--- [ 2. LINKS ] ---


https://www.linkedin.com/in/marziaarico
https://design.mavericks.substack.com
https://strategicdesignbook.com/

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Why is it that we rarely question the systems that govern our day-to-day lives?

Imagine building a rocket ship while still believing the sun revolves around the earth. Even though this sounds ridiculous today, it's not that long ago that this was the accepted notion. When Galileo first made the claim that it was actually the other way around, he even got jail time.

Yeah, people don't really like it when their fundamental beliefs are put up for scrutiny. Our history is full of "truths" we later debunked.

Okay, so what does this have to do with service design What if you're currently designing services that are based on flawed beliefs? There's certainly reason to think so.

So, in this week's episode, we explore what these beliefs could be. For that, I have invited ​Fang-Jui Chang​ from the Dark Matter Labs to join us at the Show.

In the conversation we dive into the hidden systems we take for granted, like ownership, currency, and even government.

Fair warning: This episode will challenge your assumptions. It might even feel a bit like mental jiu-jitsu at first (it surely did for me). But once things click, a whole new world of possibilities opens up. And judging by the news, I would argue that we need a radical new perspective on how our world operates in many areas.

So join me for a conversation that will challenge the way you see the world, question some fundamental "truths" and give you some fresh insights along the way.

This is one of those episodes where I had to let the ideas marinade a bit. It's all too easy to dismiss them because they seem incompatible with how our existing worldview. But defer judgment, and you might be surprised what happens.

Take care and keep making a positive impact.

~ Marc

--- [ 1. GUIDE ] ---

00:00 Welcome to Episode 202

04:00 Who is Fang-Jui

07:00 How she got into SD

10:00 Lightning Round

12:30 All beings thriving

18:30 Outdated systems fail

23:00 Asking a river permission

30:00 What we took for granted

38:30 How to prevent overwhelm

46:00 Moving forward without panic

48:00 The skill that will help

51:30 what we can to help

1:01:00 where to reach them

1:01:30 One thing you can remember

--- [ 2. LINKS ] ---


https://radiclecivics.cc
https://darkmatterlabs.org
https://twitter.com/darkmatter_labs
https://www.linkedin.com/company/darkmatterlabs
Please get in touch with the Radicle Civics team via radiclecivics@darkmatterlabs.org if you are interested in building proof of possibilities in your cities or communities and funding the work.

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My daughter dared me to 15 meters free-fall... I was on a climbing track with her, and this was one of the "attractions." Of course, she had taken the plunge without shedding a sweat.

So, there I was standing on the edge, ready to take the jump, while everything in my body was screaming NO. I hesitated, terrified... but backing out was not an option. Especially not when a 10-year old girl is cheering dad on from the ground.

Sometimes, you just have to leap into the unknown and trust that things will turn out alright.

Our guest this week, Lilli Graf, also took a massive leap. She left a safe job at a respected design agency to go independent and start her own business. Why? Because she knew 'less bad' isn't good enough anymore when it comes to our climate crisis.

Her journey in the last few years has thrown up many challenges. So, I wanted to know what kept her going, what she had learned so far, and what she would have done differently, looking back.

Of course, we also had to talk about what pushed her over the edge to make the leap in the first place. This episode is about way more than climate solutions (though those are fascinating).

It's about YOU... As service design professionals, we champion change. We push our clients to step into the unknown. But how often do we do that same?

I hope this honest and open conversation will inspire you to leap more often. What fascinated me is how well Lilli's story shows the ripple effect of our choices. From childhood to career, it all connects.

What will your next ripple be?


--- [ 1. GUIDE ] ---

00:00 Welcome to Episode 201

03:00 Who is Lilli

04:00 how Lilli heard about SD

05:15 Lightning Round

06:15 Community needs to reflect

11:15 Why Lilli needed to Step Back

13:30 Moving to the sustainability spectrum

19:30 World that's not going to be here

22:30 Black foot tribe

25:00 The responses / the results

29:15 Crisis to nature and to ourselves

33:15 How do I preserve this life?

39:15 What Imma Collective is doing

45:00 The biggest challenge

49:00 Do it with Joy and patience

50:30 The journey most proud of so far

51:30 One piece of advise

54:30 How to embark in this journey too



--- [ 2. LINKS ] ---


https://www.linkedin.com/in/elisabeth-lilli-graf/
https://www.immacollective.com/
Change by Design by Tim Brown (Book)
Everyday Utopia: What 2,000 Years of Wild Experiments Can Teach Us About the Good Life by Kristen R. Ghodsee (Book)



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Recently, I turned 43... I don't really celebrate my birthdays anymore.

Don't worry; I have an amazing wife who makes sure there's always cake.

But I do always try to take a moment and reflect on my past year because “The only time you should ever look back, is to see how far you've come.”

Well, today, it's not just about my journey; it's about ours.

We've hit a massive Service Design Show milestone: 200 episodes!

That's a new interview every two weeks for over 8 years.

And by now, we've clocked in over 500.000 listens to our conversations. Truly mind-boggling.

Especially when you consider how niche our field is (still). It tells me what I do matters to people like you.

Honestly, if I had to, I'd still do this show just for my own learning... but knowing you're out there makes it so much better.

To celebrate, I'm flipping the script. For this episode, it's me answering YOUR questions. Some are about service design, some get a bit personal...

Here's a sneak peek:


Is Journey Management the next big thing?
Will service design disappear?
How does the Show make money?
How do I keep sane working solo?

You might be surprised by some of the answers.

Guess, there's only one way to find out...

This episode was a lot of fun and quite a challenge to produce. Let me know if you like this format – maybe we'll do a follow up...

Take care,

~ Marc



--- [ 1. GUIDE ] ---

00:00 Welcome to episode 200

01:50 Why Service Design

04:30 Lessons learned from 200+ conversations

10:15 The business model

16:15 How to stay healthy and sane

25:00 Communicating service design

31:00 Designing timeless services

36:00 Is Journey Management the next big thing

40:00 Where are things going



--- [ 2. LINKS ] ---


https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcfonteijn/
https://www.servicedesignshow.com/circle/



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Is design facing a crisis? You don't have to spend much time on LinkedIn to read about the recent layoffs, studio closures, and debates about our value.
Whether or not you call it a crisis, it's hard to deny that things have been shaken up recently. But instead of focusing on surface level symptoms, let's dive deeper.
In this episode, we sit down with Yvonne Tran, design director at the New York Times, to explore the underlying forces that shape design. Where are we coming from, and what could be its next destination. Why is design in its current state?
Is this a backlash against the widespread understanding of "design thinking"? If everyone's a designer, what's the unique value a professional brings?
Despite the challenges, Yvonne still sees a bright future for design. As our clients and colleagues evolve and mature, so must we. In our conversation, Yvonne outlined three key areas where design can continue to provide unique value.
A thought-provoking episode for anyone interested in new ways to think about how to keep playing a meaningful role in the future.
It's all too easy to get bogged down in the daily grind. What I enjoyed about this conversation with Yvonne is that we zoomed out and challenged our perspectives. Let's look beyond the horizon of this quarter and make decisions that are grounded in a long-term perspective.
Inspired? Share this with someone who needs to hear it.
Take care,
~ Marc

--- [ 1. GUIDE ] ---

00:00 Welcome to Episode 199

03:30 Who is Yvonne

04:30 How she stumbled to SD

06:00 Lightning Round

10:00 Design, Designers, & Innovation

14:00 The promise of design thinking

17:30 What's the impact

27:00 The new role of design community

37:00 Aligning people's expectations

39:30 How to accelerate demand

44:00 How to measure success

48:30 One takeaway

--- [ 2. LINKS ] ---


https://www.linkedin.com/in/yvonnetran/
Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer (Book) - https://a.co/d/3Jho54D

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This has to stop... I don't care what they say. Chatbots s*ck.

But we, as service design professionals, have the power to make things better.
Sure, ChatGPT and Google Gemini are impressive tools, but a chatbot on a company's website? Probably one of the most frustrating experiences you can have these days.
This trend toward replacing humans in service delivery is a growing concern.
There's nothing wrong with trying to optimize processes. It becomes a problem when it's done in a mindless way to solely cut costs at the expense of the user experience.
Our guest, ​Cameron Tonkinwise​, makes a compelling case for preserving the human element in service delivery. Because removing this vital component erodes something incredibly valuable that AI (or any other tech) can't and will never be able to replicate.
As you can imagine, simply pointing out the problem isn't enough.
So, in our conversation, we explore how to make a strong case for human-driven services... even to the most skeptical stakeholders.
Spoiler: Waiting for our clients to change their minds isn't the answer. It requires a proactive approach on our part.
If you work in a product or tech-driven environment, this episode will hopefully give you the energy and ideas to challenge the relentless push for short-term optimization.
The chat with Cameron reminded me that we have a responsibility to design the future we want to see rather than just being of service to others.
Enjoy the conversation and keep making a positive impact!
Take care,
~ Marc



--- [ 1. GUIDE ] ---

00:00 This is Episode 198

04:00 Who is Cameron

05:00 How he stumbled to SD

12:30 the current perspective to SD

15:00 the ideal outcome

16:45 A vastly uneducated community

24:00 Why the model isn't adopted

26:00 How to support the current economy

29:30 Hockey puck story

33:30 Thoughts in AI

39:00 What you can be offering

41:30 Expressing the need

45:00 Importance of frontline observation

50:00 One practical takeaway

52:00 Connect with Cameron

--- [ 2. LINKS ] ---


https://www.linkedin.com/in/cameron-tonkinwise-80a5987/

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