This process is an adaptation of a design thinking process model of the Austin Center for Design by Itziar Pobes and other students in a Service Innovation and Design MBA, offered by Laurea University of Applied Sciences in Espoo, Finland. The team used it for a multi cultural service design project.
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The first thing that I find extremely interesting is this model is that it starts by identifying the service gaps. To me this sounds like a very humble approach where we recognize that there is already a lot that is perfectly functional and satisfying in the service for the users. Therefore our goal is not to reinvent everything but to focus rather on the gaps where we can make a difference without breaking what people are already accustomed to and already like.
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The second element which is quite different to other service design processes is the focus on testing with culturally different customers. This is for me an extremely valuable reminder! As you might know I live in Switzerland where we have four national languages and dozens of different cultures. Testing the service improvements with people from different cultures ensures that it's not just gonna work for one region but that every region feels respected and listened to. And you know, this is a problem that happens a lot in Switzerland, so I think highlighting this need for testing with different cultures is something very valuable.
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I found this adapted process of the design thinking process model of the Austin Center for Design in an article called Culture & Service Design written by Itziar Pobes, a first-year of the Service Innovation and Design MBA program at the Laurea University of Applied Sciences in Espoo, Finland.