Ringing in in the new year means new resolutions. And if being stuck in a three-year pandemic has taught us nothing else, being happy at home and work is essential to our well-being. One of the biggest trends we have seen across the last year is that our mental health is a top priority, and if your job doesn’t add to your life – then it’s time to find a new one. A whopping 4.4 million people quit their jobs in the fall of 2021 (usnews.com, 2021). New and heightened incentives are being promoted across the board to recruit and retain employees, such as free housing, loan repayments, additional education, and better bonuses.
We at Harmonic know that loving who you work with, loving your environment, being content with your salary, and most importantly – loving what you do – will make your life healthy and happy. I mean, we do spend 40 hours a week (or more!) with our jobs, so we might as well be in love with what we do!
At Harmonic Design, we practice service design. Service design is a term many of you may be seeing across product, research, and creative teams, and job openings are becoming more commonplace. But what is service design? “Service design is a human-centered design approach to defining a service’s value proposition and designing interaction and operating models.” (Orchestrating Experiences, 2018)
Service design is a human-centered design approach to defining a service’s value proposition and designing interaction and operating models.
Orchestrating Experiences, 2018
So what does this mean exactly? Service design takes a deep, empathetic (research) approach to understand all humans participating in an experience – whether with a product, a service, a system – and map out their unique moments across that journey. It is a mix between psychology, anthropology, sociology, and creative design. If you think service design is the right career for you, here are some resources from Harmonic designers and outside perspectives.
Below are some great articles written by Harmonicas to help you on your journey to becoming or understanding service design or visit our blog.
What are the Differences Between Service Design and UX Research? by Stephen Taylor
How To Craft Your Career Story By Design by Mariah Mills
Lessons From the 2021 Summer Design Interns by Harmonic Interns David Russo, Kate Ellis, and Taft Weber-Kilpack
Master your Interview Approach: A Framework for Designers by Stephanie Krell
Walking With Possibility: Service Design In Your Organization by Kerri McGarr
And don’t forget to read Orchestrating Experiences co-written by Harmonic Design CEO and co-founder Patrick Quattlebaum.
For a few outside perspectives on becoming a Service Designer take a look at some of the following resources:
What is to be a service designer
Career guides – Service Design Jobs
How to kick start your Service Design career
Hopefully, this will help you get on your way to finding out if becoming a service designer (or hiring one) is right for you. One last note! Applications for the 2022 Summer Internship open on January 7. Follow us to get notifications on the application process.
