Service Design
How can the field of “Service Design” be applied to culture in order to create sustainable experiences for society?
What is Service Design;
Service Design is the methodical process of designing services with a human-centered approach -in other words, considering the needs, experiences, and challenges of the people involved. It is, essentially, a holistic way of thinking that creates meaningful services which work well and generate a positive social and/or cultural impact.
It is a tool for strategy, empathy, and transformation, which -although not commonly used- is recommended for application in the cultural sector as well.
The process
We start with people, and more specifically, with their needs, challenges and desires. That means:
1. Understanding (research)
- What are the participants’ needs?
- What does culture mean to them?
- What are their past experiences?
- What barriers do they face?
2. Co-creation
We do not design for the communities, we design with them. During the ideation/ brainstorming phase, we work alongside artists, educators, people of all ages, local organisations, etc. -depending on the project.
3. Prototyping
Next, we test the idea on a small scale: a pilot cultural route, a workshop with students, or an interactive tool to highlight collective memory. We observe what works, what does not, and we improve it.
4. Implementation and evaluation
The service is designed holistically: from the strategy and user experience to technical details and communication. In the end, we measure its value not by “attendance,” but by engagement, relevance, and long-term sustainability.
Service Design in Culture
Our organisation deals with Cultural Management as a whole: embracing both cultural heritage (Cultural Heritage Management) and contemporary cultural production. In other words, we work in areas where the past, present, and future interact through people, communities, places, and narratives.
Furthermore, as we believe that culture is not something we “offer” but something we co-create, we use Service Design as our core methodology for designing actions and services.
What Service Design brings to culture:
- It creates space for diverse voices,
- It helps us see services as lasting relationships and systems,
- It creates cultural experiences that connect people,
- It equips small cultural organisations with strategic, meaningful tools to operate with clarity and purpose.
Our position
We are one of the few organisations in Greece that systematically applies Service Design within the field of cultural management. We believe that culture is not what we do -it is how we relate to each other, and Service Design helps us do this with respect, consistency, and participation. In addition, having adapted a range of Service Design tools to our field, we offer training workshops to other professionals or stakeholders, who wish to deepen their understanding and practice in this area.