Week 1

16 fevereiro 2023, 18:39 • Paulo Bala

Welcome to Service Design 2023!

In this course you will be introduced to the basics of Service Design (SD), and be able to apply it to a project brief using SD processes and models. Given the 7 week format (and considering the easter break between week 6 and 7), this is an intensive course; if you miss one week, this affects the rhythm of the class, the project and team work.

What is this course about?

The Service Design (SD) course is a 7-week long course suitable for the Masters programs that explain the basics of service design and engages the students in working on service design briefs that tackle real life problems and opportunities. Students work in teams to produce a service concept and requirements document for a new or enhanced digitally enabled service, or product/service system. Students go through a research and innovation phase producing product ideas situated to meet the identified needs. Students should plan to produce models, concepts and experience prototypes so that they can get meaningful feedback from their mentor or clients in a timely fashion. Weekly studio sessions, insure students research, synthesize and create meaningful solutions, as well as refinements to their concept adapting it to user needs. For this course, the end goal is to expose and train the students to the basic SD processes and models. In order to do that, we engage teams of students to work on a brief and a series of small exercises for the duration of the semester. The results will be a submission of the complete documentation of the brief, its processes, and a series of refined SD Models.

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[Communication]

As a general discussion tool, we will use Slack where you can post your questions and meet up with colleagues. This is the invite link (expires in 30 days): 

https://join.slack.com/t/sd2023/shared_invite/zt-1pgr9uchg-WYcXSAqiPJ67Q35rBQ0dqA

Please activate notifications and install the app as this will be the main communication channel for this class.

If you need to contact us through email, please include all the lecturers so that we can coordinate the response, and use reply all when responding:

Valentina Nisi - valentina.nisi@tecnico.ulisboa.pt

Paulo Bala - paulo.bala@tecnico.ulisboa.pt

Marta Ferreira - amartaferreira@tecnico.ulisboa.pt 

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[Schedule]

Given the studio-based format of the class, we are adopting a slightly different format in how classes are run. This format was successful in the last couple of years as it allows for longer blocks of time needed for the work and interaction with the lecturer(s), and gives students more flexibility in using their time. Therefore, classes are organized based on the availability of the group.

Lab Classes will all be on Monday, from 10:00 to 16:00, split into two 3 hour shifts. These shifts will be divided into time slots according to the number of teams, so that each team doesn’t need to be there for the full 3 hour shift (although you are free to use the time to work with your group in class).

Theory Classes will be on Wednesday and Thursday, from 8:00 to 12:00. Depending on their group availability, each team chooses only one of the days. I’ll repeat this because its important: the team only comes on Wednesday or Thursday.

Each day, the four hour block is actually lecture + studio; the lecture (starting at 8:15) is to learn about SD methods and models; the studio is to have time with the lecturer. The order in which teams talk with the instructor is predetermined, and based on the team availability.

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[Forming groups]

We will be finalising groups in the lab, but you can already start searching. Make sure that your group has compatible schedules and interest in the same brief. Please use threads or private messages to avoid cluttering the slack channels.

Teams are expected to have 4 members.

Depending on the number of enrolled students, students might be left without a group. As a last resort, I will help find them compatible groups.

At the moment, given the current number of enrolled students, we expect that there might be 10 to 14 groups. 

On Monday (20th), I will fill a spreadsheet with the formed groups, taking into account time restrictions of the groups. After class, I will create a schedule for the Lab and for the Theory class you have chosen, based on all teams restrictions and the amount of time per team. 

If a team has an incompatible schedule for studio time, the main instructor (Valentina Nisi) might use time from her office hours (Wednesday afternoon) to meet the team. 

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[Rules]

• Show up in the first week! - Given the short span of the semester and the type of work to be developed, we have a strict policy of not accepting students that enroll late in the semester. If you are interested in the course (whether you are or are not enrolled in Fenix), you need to show up in the first week. For Erasmus students: Do not wait until your enrollment is official to come to class. Sometimes you are only in the system in the third week, and by then, almost half of the quarter is gone. 

• The course has been redesigned -  The course (and brief) is updated every year, so do not take previous years as examples.

• Need to be in teams already at the start. Given the short span of the semester, teams need to be formed quickly to start working. By the end of the first class, all students should be in a team. 

• Attend theory classes and labs (strongly suggested) - The material is explained in theory classes and labs and applied outside of it. Failing to attend class can result in not understanding what to do for the project. 

• Working in teams is mandatory - The teams are self-responsible. If a team member cannot attend class, it's up to the team to catch him up.

• Recap your projects - Due to a large number of teams and multiple instructors, when addressing instructors, please provide a recap of your project so that we can advise you appropriately. 

• Bring materials - Theory classes and labs might have practical exercises where students can apply some of the taught methods. Most exercises require basic materials like paper, pens, highlighters, post-its, etc. 

• This is in part a Design course - Therefore, the aesthetic quality of the material you produced is important. Not being from a Design background is not a reason to avoid it. 

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[Week 1 - Lab]

This Monday’s class will start with a brief introduction to the class, followed by forming groups. We will then do a workshop activity to kickstart your work on the brief. 

You can (and should) consult the existing briefs and the planned schedule for classes in Fenix.

Given that we don’t know how many students are taking this class, you should attend the lab shift that you would prefer to be in. You can then find a group that is best suited for the theory class.

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You can start to get acquainted with the briefs and schedule by visiting the following pages: