This is service design thinking: basics, tools, cases by Marc Stickdorn and Jakob Schneider Summary

1. Service design success hinges on visualizing every customer interaction as sequenced touchpoints.
2. Co-create services with employees and users—not just for them—to ensure holistic adoption.
3. Evidencing intangible services through physical artifacts builds customer loyalty and clarifies internal roles.
4. Map emotional highs and lows across pre-service, during-service, and post-service phases.
5. Stickdorn’s five principles transform siloed operations into user-centered, cross-functional service ecosystems.
6. Prototype services rapidly using journey maps and blueprinting to test real-world viability.
7. Holistic design addresses hidden pain points in staff workflows and back-end systems.
8. Replace department-centric planning with co-creative workshops that surface unmet stakeholder needs.
9. Service blueprints reveal how policy changes impact both frontline staff and end users.
10. Stickdorn proves even government services become human-centered through ethnographic research and iteration.
11. Benchmark service quality by measuring emotional resonance—not just efficiency metrics.
12. Case studies show sequencing touchpoints reduces customer effort while increasing perceived value.

About the Author of This is service design thinking

Marc Stickdorn and Jakob Schneider, co-authors of This is Service Design Thinking, are pioneering figures in service design and customer experience innovation.

Stickdorn, a German service design consultant and entrepreneur, combines strategic management expertise with practical tools developed through his startups smaply and ExperienceFellow—web-based platforms for journey mapping and ethnographic research. Schneider, an award-winning visual designer and creative director at KD1 agency, brings brand communication expertise from collaborations with Volkswagen, Siemens, and Deutsche Telekom.

Their groundbreaking 2010 book established service design methodology through five core principles, blending academic rigor with real-world case studies from 23 international contributors. The co-authors expanded their impact with This is Service Design Doing (2018), offering advanced implementation frameworks.

Translated into 12 languages and adopted by leading business schools worldwide, This is Service Design Thinking remains the definitive guide in its field, underpinned by the authors' dual perspective as practitioners and educators.

FAQs About This is service design thinking

What is This Is Service Design Thinking by Marc Stickdorn about?

This Is Service Design Thinking provides a comprehensive guide to designing customer-centric services through five core principles: user-centered focus, co-creation, sequencing interactions, evidencing value, and holistic perspective. It blends theory with actionable tools like customer journey maps and service blueprints, supported by real-world case studies. Ideal for innovators, it bridges disciplines like design and management to enhance user experiences.

Who should read This Is Service Design Thinking?

Entrepreneurs, UX/UI designers, product managers, and organizational leaders seeking to improve customer experiences will benefit most. The book offers practical methods for breaking down silos, reducing development costs, and fostering collaboration across teams. It’s also valuable for academics studying service design’s interdisciplinary approach.

Is This Is Service Design Thinking worth reading?

Yes—it’s an award-winning resource praised for its actionable frameworks, including 25 service design tools and global case studies. Marc Stickdorn’s expertise as a service design strategist and co-founder of Smaply adds real-world credibility. Readers gain strategies to visualize intangible services and align stakeholder efforts.

What are the five principles of service design thinking?

1. User-centered: Prioritize customer needs at every stage.
2. Co-creative: Involve all stakeholders in design processes.
3. Sequencing: Map interactions as a structured journey.
4. Evidencing: Make intangible services visible through artifacts.
5. Holistic: Consider emotional, physical, and environmental touchpoints.

How does This Is Service Design Thinking help organizations?

The book provides tools like personas, stakeholder maps, and prototyping techniques to align teams and reduce redundant workflows. For example, Smaply—software co-developed by Stickdorn—helps visualize customer journeys, enabling organizations to identify pain points and improve service delivery.

What are key quotes from This Is Service Design Thinking?

• “Services should be experienced through the customer’s eyes”: Emphasizes empathy and user perspective.
• “Make the intangible tangible”: Encourages using visuals like blueprints to clarify service processes.
• “Everyone can be creative!”: Advocates for inclusive, cross-functional collaboration.

How does service design thinking differ from traditional design?

Unlike product-focused design, service design addresses dynamic interactions between users, employees, and systems. It treats services as evolving processes (e.g., a bus route’s efficiency depends on rider input) rather than static outputs. The approach integrates continuous feedback loops and interdisciplinary methods.

What case studies are featured in the book?

Examples include public transportation optimization and digital service redesigns. These illustrate how sequencing touchpoints and co-creating with users lead to improved efficiency and satisfaction. One case highlights using mobile ethnography to gather real-time customer data.

What tools does the book recommend for service design?

• Customer journey maps: Visualize user interactions across touchpoints.
• Personas: Represent target users’ needs and behaviors.
• Service blueprints: Align backend processes with user-facing actions.
• Prototyping: Test service concepts quickly with low-fidelity models.

How does This Is Service Design Thinking address collaboration?

It advocates for “co-creation” workshops where stakeholders from diverse roles (e.g., marketers, engineers) jointly ideate solutions. This breaks departmental silos and ensures services align with both user needs and technical feasibility.

What criticisms exist about the book?

Some note the book’s academic tone may overwhelm beginners. Others suggest it focuses more on theory than step-by-step implementation. However, its companion volume, This Is Service Design Doing, addresses these gaps with hands-on guidance.

How does the book stay relevant in 2025?

With digital transformation accelerating, its human-centered principles apply to AI-driven services, remote user testing, and omnichannel experiences. The rise of tools like ExperienceFellow (for mobile ethnography) further validates its emphasis on real-time customer insights.