From product to service

“Service designers will need a shift of attitude—they’ll have to design with rather

than for people.” —Robert Young

Redesigning the music economy

Perpetual monetisation model

20 million users in 240 countries listening to 300 songs per second

AdvertisersA mini billboard space beside every song

Artists & LabelsGet paid every time someone listens

YouListen for free

So… why should we be shifting our conscious to service design?

You’re probably already doing it.

We are the service.

“Any activity or benefit that one party can give to another…” — Philip Kotler

“A chain of activities or processes that have value for the end user.” — Dan Sa!er

Value

Are you creating something people actually want to use?

People create create value for each other.

Something inherent to the act of designing.

Something we’re probably already doing if we are interaction designers.

Something that provides value.

For the service we’re designing.

For how we design the service.

A service is often produced as it’s consumed.

“Involving people as a way of getting things done” — Sophia Parker

"…the transformation of businesses at such a fundamental level require the simultaneous

development of both business methods and the technology that supports those methods."

— Paul Horn

We are facilitators.

Tools for service design

1. Touchpoints

Google search resultsEmailWeb/print marketing & advertisingApplication on another siteWord of mouthCatalogue pageHome pageProfile pagePlayerSoftwareCustomer service

Last.fm:

2. Process Maps

Listen to radio on the home pageStart listening to the radio by typing in an artist. User can use the pop up functionality if they want to surf and listen at the same time.

Find and listen to radio on the catalogue pagesListen to similar artist radio (the most popular radio) by clicking on the station links on these pages

Could we better show what’s in the station to motivate people to listen to it? maybe a little bit of extra contextualisation could help the anonymous user, which are probably the largest number of users access-ing this kind of radio on the catalogue pages.

Link context back to the radio—what about a “this track is in the following tag stations” idea like we do with the playlists to contextualise the station more?

Listening to your rec radio, neighbour radio and possibly tag stations.Users listen to radio directly from their profile page and other’s profile pages.

Listen to group radioUsers can listen to radio on this page (if they find it).

Listen to tag radioUser can listen to tag radio on the tag stations, or from a user’s tags tab (if they find it).

We’ve solved some of this by making tags more prominent on the profile page. More integration for tag stations like this?

However, we do a pretty good job of showing ‘what’s inside’

(not currently available) We should offer this to labels.

Why not recommend labels (and their radio or playlists) based on the artists a user listens to? (People don’t actually know which labels they like, do they?)

Why not make this more contextual? Links to group radio off user’s group page so other users can easily access this station without visiting the group page.

We could do a much better job of showing what’s inside this type of radio since group names are not always that desriptive.

Cat pages could include this in the “this album / track is in these stations” idea.

Show which members listen to the radio most often? Or which members are listening now? On the groups page? On your groups tab?

How can visitors to your page join in with what you’re listeningt to?

How could users rate radio, and how do users find good stations that their friends are listening to? What about a thumbs up/thumbs down rating system. Or an add to my fav stations button (sidebar display?)

How can we contextualise things better. Ie -- point out what is in the station (like we do on the dashboard) when visiting another user’s page. Show the influence of users in neighbour radio etc.

Listening to your rec radioUsers listen to radio directly from their dashboard

Why can’t we recommend stations to users?

We should better communicate that you can listen to recommendations from friends in your rec radio.

More finabillity of radio stations should occour here.

There are few problems with this because this radio is started with a user search. We do a good job of this and a poor job of the findability of stations.

Does the radio listener want a ‘home page’ playeron their profile page?

Homepage

Finding and listening to Radio (flash)

Catalogue Pages Your Profile Page, other’s profile pages.

Dashboard Group pages Tag pages, tags tab

PLACES

ACTIONS

PROBLEMS

3. Blueprints

Share something from a res page

Share appears on my shares pg(Only I see)

Share gets it’s own page (URL)for those specific people only

Share appears on the group’sshares pg

Share gets it’s own page (URL)and appears ‘from the group’

Share starting from nothing

Share appears on my shares pg

Share gets it’s own page (URL)and appears ‘ from you’

Story becomes a candidate for the newsfeed

Story becomes a candidate for the newsfeed

If shared with specific people or “the public” (publicly)

If shared with a group* (publicly)If shared with specific people (privately)

* If the group is private then the share isinherently private.

4. Experience Prototype

5. Personas

TinaPersona: The resource user

Device/internet usageComputer: Shared home PC, Work PCMobile: Sony ErikssonPortable: nonePrimary device: mobileComfort: Fairly comfortableWeb: 40 hours/weekPhone: 5 hours/weekprograms: Email, Firefox, FTP, otherwebsites: Facebook, Flickr, Last.fm, YouTube

DemographicsAge: 29Job: ArchitectChildren: noIncome: mediumHobbies: Friends, sports, outdoors, music, internet

“I like getting info and being able to listen to/watch my favourite bands”

Last.fm feature use:Catalogue pages, homepage

Stella Persona: The socialite

Device/internet usageComputer: School, boyfriend’s laptopMobile: NokiaPortable: pink iPod miniPrimary device: mobile phone (text), computerComfort: fairly comfortable, unafriadWeb: 50 hours/weekPhone: 5 hours/weekprograms: Email, Word, IE, WMplayer, msnwebsites: MySpace, Facebook, Last.fm

DemographicsAge: 19Education: In univeristyChildren: noIncome: lowHobbies: parties, music, friends, gigs, blogging

“I feel totally unconnected without knowing what my friends are doing”

Last.fm feature use:Profile page, radio (flash), friends, journal, groups, events

JasonPersona: The music lover

Device/internet usageComputer: PC LaptopMobile: SamsungPortable: 15G iPod (gen II)Primary device: iPodComfort: only with familiar devices,softwareWeb: 20 hours/weekPhone: 15 hours/weekprograms: Email, iTunes, Word, IEwebsites: Last.fm, MySpace,

DemographicsAge: 35Job: JournalistChildren: 1Income: mediumHobbies: collecting vinyl,gigs, magazines, reading

“I want to discover new music and get recommendations.”

Last.fm feature use:Catalogue pages, dashboard, profile page, radio, events, groups, tags, neighbours

AnniePersona: The scrobbling listener

Device/internet usageComputer: Sony Vaio LaptopMobile: Sony ErikssonPortable: Sony PSPPrimary device: laptop, mobileComfort: Really comfortableWeb: 55 hours/weekPhone: 3 hours/weekprograms: Email, Firefox, otherwebsites: Google, Last.fm

DemographicsAge: 25Job: Web DesignerChildren: noIncome: mediumHobbies: Music, internet,friends, gaming,

“I’m addicted to my charts.”

Last.fm feature use:Profile page, software, tags, friends, groups, events, subscription features

6. Scenarios

How to stay on track…

A person doesn’t scale ;-)

Service model

The last.fm service

!!

Musical complexity (chaos) !

!

A service built from multiple

cohesive products

Service model !!

Musical complexity (chaos) !

!

Service model

The last.fm service now

!!

Musical complexity (chaos) !

!

A service built from multiple

cohesive products

Service model !!

Musical complexity (chaos) !

!

! service model

Without guiding principles

!!

Musical complexity (chaos) !

!

Is it representative of the complexity, ie. based in real life?

Is there a true need / want for this? (qualitative)

Is there data to back this up? (quantitative)

Is it clear, honest and transparent?

Are you explaining by showing (not telling)?

Can someone else repeat it in their own words (and retain the meaning)?

Are you revealing the complexity gradually (is it easy and simple to start?)

Is it obviously alive with people?

Does it manage (set or lower) expectations?

Does it scale positively (like scrobbling)?

Is it!s complexity limitless?

Does it reveal the benefits of the Last.fm model?

Ask someone else, or a few other people—possibly who aren!t on your

team (if it makes sense to do so) so we!re cross pollinating ideas.

Does it evolve and expand?

Does it get better with more?

Does it do the work itself?

Is it easier, simpler and more fun than what existed

before (in the real world, on another website etc.)

Musical complexity (chaos) !

!

Is it better before?

Is it a real problem?

Does it make sense within the Last.fm service?(along with everything else)

Is it fun?

Are you using the complexity of the problem as fuel for the answer?

Sanity check

build, design, sign deal, execute etc.

Does it spread itself?

1. Solve the customer’s problem completely by insuring that all the goods and services work, and work together.

2. Don’t waste the customer’s time.

3. Provide exactly what the customer wants.

4. Provide what’s wanted exactly where it’s wanted.

5. Provide what’s wanted where it’s wanted exactly when it’s wanted.

6. Continually aggregate solutions to reduce the customer’s time and hassle.

References & Further Reading:

“Designing for Interaction” — Dan Sa!erhttp://www.designingforinteraction.com/

“The Journey to the Interface” — Sophia Parkerhttp://www.demos.co.uk/publications/thejourneytotheinterface

“The New Discipline of Services Science” — Paul Hornhttp://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/jan2005/tc20050121_8020.htm

live|work Studio’s service design wiki:http://www.servicedesign.org/