About the project

Service design must push its current boundaries of reference to incorporate wider impulses from the social sciences and humanities to allow for higher engagement at a socio-cultural level with service customers. Services are primarily defined by their intangibility and temporal nature where value is co-created during service delivery between customer and service provider. Rituals offer time-based structures that allow for the intangible to be made substantive and as well as frame works for the orchestrating of experiential high points and high seasons. Myths offer symbolic and binding narratives for service customers, which can create new fellowships that build lasting communities of a brand faithful. The research takes an explorative and practical approach based upon theories from social science. From these insights a new set of practical design tools are being developed which will be tested and assessed in New Service Development settings.

Main aims: To interrogate the potential of utilizing the sacred as material for New Service Development (NSD)?

Analytical frames: Service design. Sociology & Anthropology.

Research methods: Literature survey, practice-based research and analysis
of design outputs of the project and others as case studies.

Outcomes: New service design toolkits and methodology for NSD.

Publications: None to date.

Partners: As part of the Centre Service Innovation (CSI) the project will
partner private sector companies Telenor, Tryg, Storebrand, DnBNOR, Posten
as well as public and education sector institutions.

Project site:

Finance: CSI: NFR

Supervisor: Simon Clatworthy.