Читать книгу Service Design - Ben Reason - Страница 38

The above examples may well sound obvious. Most people recognize services when they see and experience them, but it is useful to describe and analyze them in this way precisely because services like these are so ubiquitous. It is this very ubiquity that leads them to being taken for granted by both users and providers alike. Thus, they become almost invisible elements of life.

Utilities such as water and electricity are excellent examples of these kinds of services. It is only when there is a power cut or a burst water main that people realize just how dependent they are on these utilities and first start to think about the service infrastructure that is required to provide them. It is because many services are almost invisible that nobody takes care to design them. This is not a conversation we would have if we were talking about a car or a smartphone because the design of these products is quite literally close to the surface and makes up a large proportion of the decision to buy or use them.

As a result, service designers frequently need to make the invisible visible by showing customers what has gone on behind the scenes, showing staff what is happening in the lives of customers, and showing everyone the resource usage that is hidden away. Many of these aspects become part of the business and marketing case for the service (the service proposition).