Why a Service Blueprint is the start, not the end of a project

In a traditional consulting setup, consultants are measured and paid by the work they deliver. Given this context of advising and delivering a ‘service design project’, service blueprints would be marked as ‘deliverables’, where clients are billed upon receiving beautifully visualised blueprints.

Unfortunately this not only misses the purpose of a blueprint as a communication tool for change, but helps perpetuate the misunderstanding amongst clients that Service Designers = Service Blueprints.

Here are some ideas on how we could reorient the Service Blueprint as a tool for change:

1. Recognise that service blueprinting is only the first step in understanding the business and customer better (or in Design Thinking speak, the Empathise stage).
2. Push boundaries of thinking around what a service blueprint should be. For example, showing the connections — or not — between the activities and touchpoints with the workflows, infrastructure and technology.
3. Utilise a variety of tools in conjunction with a service blueprint. For example, a Business Model Canvas or RATER (hint: this helps expand your client’s perception of what a Service Designer does).
4. Help clients understand service blueprinting as a discovery exercise, and not a destination (see point 1 above).
5. Situate service blueprinting as part of a transformation roadmap. Bear in mind the focus is on changes the client wishes to enact, not the tool itself.

A caveat I must add — this comes from a consulting perspective, and does not necessarily apply to all service design projects. By aligning our understanding on the purpose of the tools we use (in this instance, the service blueprint), we help our clients better understand our role as service designers in helping them achieve their desired change and transformation.

This is my first post, as a service designer who has been a management consultant in a previous life. I’m on a journey to become a service architect, working with organisations to craft and deliver the best possible experiences of their services and products. Happy to receive feedback (‘Feedback is a gift’) here or through email (jerel.lee@gmail.com).