A year of effective service design

with Chris Downs

Design - meet business. Business - meet design. It has been twelve months since the last Emergence conference which asked the question “What is the emerging discipline of service design?” A year on, and the new question is “What value does service design add?” This year has seen us bring design and business closer than ever to achieve real financial, social and environmental success. But what else has the discipline achieved? What can it achieve in the future and what do we all need to do to maximise its potential?

Through the presentation of client case studies and industry insights, Chris will cover topics including measuring the results of service design practice, the changing role of responsibility in a client/consulting relationship, the pressures on traditional design education, and what happens when design and business really start to work together.

About Chris Downs

Chris Downs is the founding partner of live|work, a service innovation design consultancy. Prior to live|work Chris was part of the start-up team
responsible for the development of The Interaction Design Institute Ivrea, in Italy, where he remains an adjunct professor.

Chris has been working as a Design Consultant since 1995, working extensively in internet consultancy. During this time, he oversaw the creative direction of MTV Europe’s interactive productions, co-produced the world’s first online degree show and developed ‘Ozone Terrace’ the web’s first soap-opera.

At live|work, Chris has been involved in the service innovation design and development for companies including the BBC, Orange, Egg.com, Experian, and FIAT, as well as pioneering the personal data brokering service, loome. Chris is a regular speaker on the subject of service design, creativity and entrepreneurship.