Adopting Rigor in Service Design Research

Special Session on Service Design
IASDR09 conference, Seoul. 18-22 October 2009
Adopting Rigor in Service Design Research

Although the relevance of Service Design practice and research is widely acknowledged, as shown by the growth of initiatives, projects and courses on the subject, the theoretical underpinnings remain unclear. The research area thus runs the risk of developing a lack in rigor. Furthermore, because of the growing complexity and collaborative nature of service projects and society demands, service design practice is quickly evolving – already stretching the borders and questioning the underlying bases of this emerging specialization.
This special session aimed to explore the role and potential benefits of adopting other disciplines’ theoretical frameworks as a way to provide orienting concepts and rigor to practice and research, as well as to make sense of the changes of the scenario in which designers act. Interesting contributions are exploring the insights coming from Organizational theory, Ethnography, Drama, Service Management, etc.

Coordinators: Stefan Holmlid and Daniela Sangiorgi
Authors of the papers: Benedict SIngleton, Cabirio Cautela, Francesca Rizzo, Francesco Zurlo, Lara Penin, Cameron Tonkinwise, Sabine Junginger, Daniela Sangiorgi, Fabian Segelstrom, Stefan Holmlid, Bas Raijmakers

Link to the proceedings