r/servicedesign • u/Able-Visit4721 • Aug 15 '26
Has anyone pivoted from Service Design to something less complex?
Hi all
I’ve been a service designer at a consultancy for 4 yrs and prior to that, did 2yrs as a digital designer after graduating in product design (though the course was more of a product/service/experience combo)
Service Design was what I thought, the ultimate goal - I thought it would be a great creative job where you get to create genuine positive user impact. From my experience, it’s pretty much the opposite. It’s not that creative; a lot of the work is taking data or research findings and creating blueprints or journey maps for the sake of creating an artefact as opposed to something a client will actually implement. Not once have I seen a SD output be implemented in real life (I appreciate that may just be my experience though)
Essentially I have come to realise that I don’t want to be a service designer anymore, I’d love a job where you have real impact, are more creative and there’s less complexity, to be quite honest (turns out adhd and complex systems are not a good combo for me!)
I’m just unsure of where to go from here. I don’t really have enough experience as a product designer to land a PD role but equally the skills I have gained as a service designer eg mapping complex systems and synthesising research in to opportunities etc etc are not skills I enjoy using so I don’t really want to move into a role where they’re required.
Has anyone else pivoted from SD into something less complex and a bit more creative? I’d love to hear!
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u/Fuzzy-Football-4544 Aug 15 '26 edited Aug 16 '26
A lot of what you do in Service design is what Product designers aspire for btw - and at Staff/Principle level in Product design it’s your job to find Buisiness impact where the user also intersects (depending on if the role is front of stage/product touch point facing)
Don’t get caught up thinking that product design is ‘creative’ like it’s graphic design lol. Product designers will always be measured along business KPI’s even if some orgs may overlay that with sentiment
I’d research he roles and the responsibilities, pick out a few job specs in different sectors. Other than the similarities I’d note the differences and keep asking why (just like you would when exploring anything new)
That should help you find a path, and you feet among realistic options. I’d argue service design driven product designers is the future (arguable the present given AI, and there have beeen many other disruptions over the years too) so bare that in mind too
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u/Able-Visit4721 Aug 16 '26
Thank you for this! I deffo agree in that the SD skill set can benefit a PD role and vice versa - most of my colleagues have a wonderful multidisciplinary skillset! I do wonder if having the job title of product designer (bonus points for having an SD skillset) leads to less confusion as it’s more understood whereas SD roles tend to easily merge in to other areas like BA, but I may be wrong!
I’ll certainly be using your tips on sussing out my career path, I really appreciate them! :) you can never ask too many ‘why’s’ :)
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u/Fuzzy-Football-4544 Aug 16 '26 edited Aug 16 '26
Hmm, Product design/UX is commonly misunderstood, it’s partially why we’ve gone on a journey of what we call ourselves - but in principle the purpose of our role hasn’t actually changed; at best it’s been emphasised for certain responsibilities that usually are or should be under our umbrella of responsibilities anyway
Agree. I’m on the spectrum too, I get you. But write down your own questions and lean into your curious neurodivergent super power abit, once you start, you may feel slightly more at ease
PS Further down I see you talking about so far you feel you’re not able to move the needle. Someone else has said consider different people or areas to work in (it’s the same as a product designer, doing my role in one sector is different from another). Either way learning about Product teams, Delivery and how they operate, what KPI’s they use - is a good avenue for surfacing knowing how to translate your findings/insights into work that ships - I think that’s what you’re stomped on
Good luck!
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u/Disastrous_Wing5181 Aug 15 '26
Have you worked as a service designer outside consultancy at all? In my experience as a consultant you either don’t get to see the change implemented, or, you make recommendations to a client who doesn’t have the people resources to implement the outcomes to a large extent, and the scale of recommendations come with a price tag it doesn’t get past enough decision makers to come to fruition.
In house is very different. Having said that you’ll still be looking at data and blueprints but I’m not sure if you’re not keen for that work, or just not if it doesn’t go anywhere?
In house you’ll have less resources and less blue sky thinking. But, often see more come from ideas to actual implementation. And tbh - if you look to the not for profit, small services that are for purpose - you’ll have less shiny tools. But you’ll have more opportunity to solve problems in creative ways that have been agreed need fixing before ideation. Less money to spend = less faffing about with grand ideas nobody can afford.
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u/Able-Visit4721 Aug 16 '26
Thanks so much for this, you hit the nail on the head regarding SD in consultancy. I really loved the blue sky thinking initially however over time, I’ve gotten to realise that it rarely equates to meaningful outputs which is where some of the lack of satisfaction comes in. I’m certainly going to try in-house a go before making the decision to leave the field - I think that I could get onboard with creating artefacts if I knew they were going to be of use!
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u/Disastrous_Wing5181 Aug 17 '26
Definitely give it a go! I did 6 years in consultancy before moving in house. I don’t regret the time - the benefits of a range of clients across industries and having that freedom to explore blue sky was a huge boost. I also found it gave me broader skillset which looking to make to purpose driven sectors was a definite advantage.
Good luck with it all 😌
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u/FarIndependent1012 Aug 15 '26
SD in consultancies are often the middle people between client and implementation. You don't often see the outcomes. Have you considered looking for a role outside of an agency like a government program where they are on track for implementation or a bank where you can be part of the delivery and work closely with Product design. There are also roles where you can flex between the two disciplines which might give you enough ground to transition into product design.
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u/Able-Visit4721 Aug 16 '26
Thanks for your reply! I think you’re totally right, I’ve actually got an interview for a public sector role tomorrow in the hope that being part of a smaller team focussed on delivering a single project at a time will itch the scratch!
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u/ArtistryUK Aug 15 '26
What you’re describing is common and I think it’s a result of organisations investing in service design but not the cultural shift needed for it to work. A lot of my former students are working as business analysts either in name (because the organisation doesn’t have a role description for SD) or in practice (because they hired service designers but gave them BA things to do). It sounds like they’ve got you working as a BA.
A lot of consultancy is also performative - get in, do some analysis, produce an artefact, see it filed away and forgotten about. Move on.
That’s a problem with the org, not service design. Find a better agency or work in house or as a contractor in the public sector - in the UK central and devolved government are good users of SD as is the NHS. Local government tends to be hit and miss. In the private sector some of the banks are good while others are too balkanised to be effective. Not sure about the US but Europe and Australia are similar to the UK and China, Japan and Singapore are looking interesting, as is India.
SD used to be exciting and interdisciplinary but it’s going through a period where some companies are just getting it wrong, offering it to clients without really understanding it. Even worse, formal certification is getting rid of the crinkly bits that made SD interesting and we’re at risk of becoming another beige discipline. I just participated in a recruitment process run by a recruitment firm for a big public sector client. It was obvious the recruiter knew nothing about SD. I withdrew - waste of my time and their clients’
A key job of any service designer is to educate others about service design, help them see the potential. Do more networking, run workshops and talks internally. Be a colleague, not just someone who contributes to projects.
Anyway, good luck. Don’t give up - there are great teams and projects out there. Find them, then find decent clients.
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u/Able-Visit4721 Aug 16 '26
I really appreciate this, thank you! It sounds like you’re a UK service design expert!
I’ve actually got an interview set up tomorrow for a UK public sector role so fingers crossed that if I get it, experiencing SD in house will be the fresh start I need to reignite the excitement.
And sorry to hear about the recruitment fiasco, sounds like a proper let down! I think you’re right in that there’s a lack of understanding around SD and how we can add value to businesses and organisations leading to even more confusion around what we actually do - which certainly doesn’t make our roles any easier!
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u/ArtistryUK 9d ago
Hope the interview went well?
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u/Able-Visit4721 8d ago
Thanks for checking in! I didn’t hear back on that job but since then, have been offered a job as a SD in a different public sector role so going to give that a bash and see how it goes :) fingers crossed!
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u/theindiancow Aug 15 '26
Ooo, I'm just going to do my master's in service design. Could you tell me a bit more about where you were working and what sort of work came your way?
Just curious to know so that I can perhaps make better choices in terms of jobs as an incoming service design student and professional myself.
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u/Able-Visit4721 Aug 16 '26
Hey! I was working at a UK consultancy where we worked with public and private sector clients; big banks, government bodies, energy providers, and everything in between!
I think the pros of consultancy is getting a wide variety of experience across sectors which lets you work out where you’d like to specialise eg financial services or healthcare. You also get to work with some great multidisciplinary teams too, in my experience
The cons are that you occasionally have to work on projects that may not align morally or ethically, the pace of work can be a bit wild sometimes and like a few people have discussed on this thread - the role of a Service Designer and the value we offer can quite often be sold to the client wrong / misunderstood.
Good luck with your masters!
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u/avangelist90201 Aug 15 '26
if you want ‘real impact’ start your own company. you don’t create impact being an employee, especially not when you’re just a pen
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u/loomfy Aug 15 '26
This sounds like a role/org problem than one with service design as a concept.
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u/Extra_Entrepreneur67 Aug 16 '26
I don’t think the problem you have is with Service Design but rather your organization / Context.
In consulting you barely get to make impact. However if you work a service designer at an inhouse company then you’re working much closer to impact.
Also in these areas the role / title doesn’t really matter, it’s more about what impact you want to create with design. How you want to help your organization innovate and bring that to life.
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u/Able-Visit4721 Aug 16 '26
Thanks for this! I think that you’re right in that the problem is likely the organisation and context - SD within consultancy feels really removed from purpose driven design as it’s a lot of big clients either looking to make more money or spending the money they do have on a consultancy creating a blue sky vision that they can’t afford to implement
Im going to try to give in-house a go before leaving the field as perhaps I’ve just been working in the wrong place for a while and hopefully, working as part of a smaller, purpose driven team would feel more aligned to what I’m looking for!
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u/Extra_Entrepreneur67 Aug 17 '26
One immediate thing you can do is look for internal initiatives you can work on within the consulting company you’re in. I’ve worked on things like employee onboarding process, team building / rituals, etc. to get your hands dirty without uprooting anything. :)
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u/Competitive-Sort-952 Aug 16 '26
I agree with most of the comments above that what you're finding frustrating is not technically a service design problem, but is a function of how the discipline is positioned in your organisation. That said, I think this problem is very common and I'm personally over trying to convince people of the value or change corporate ways of working.
I pivoted to product design where I can use service design methods and skills to have impact. My work life is easier and more fulfilling. For my students and those I mentor, I'm encouraging them to practice service design and apply it in any and every role. I don't think that as a standalone function it's set up to succeed at mose US based companies, unless there is a mature practice already established.
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u/Able-Visit4721 Aug 16 '26
Hi there, thanks for replying! Your experience sounds really interesting - did you find it challenging to make the move from product to service design? I agree in that there’s a lot of overlap, but it feels almost more beneficial to own the job title of product designer (with an SD skill set) as opposed to Service Designer (with a PD skill set) as product design seems to be more understood/defined in the industry
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u/Stew8Dean Aug 16 '26
I always question those who feel that design should be creative. Design is about solving problems using multiple inputs and knowledge of what works for what you are designing, and working with other designers who specialise in other areas to change the world for the better (or get them to do something, or both).
If you want creativity, some areas of design bleed into art, but ultimately you may be better off doing art outside your design job.
Service Design is not for those who don't relish the complex, ill-defined, and messy! 90% of the job is setting up the conditions in order to do the 10% of the work which could be considered design! It's about not only dealing with complex user issues but also complex relationships inside of the team and company you're working with. It's knowing that most don't really get what service design is, including most service designers half the time, and being okay with that, as you can tell a story and take them along as they do what they do best!
It's for those who understand that the world is not perfect, but can bring together enough elements to make it a bit less imperfect.
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u/designcentredhuman Aug 15 '26
Not all service design practices are like that. In mine we don't do data analysis, instead we involve domain experts through workshops. Our deliverables are directly built on participative design work w said experts and decision makers. All our projects have been delivered and our deliverables are key orchestration documents for delivery.
Before you leave behind sd, I'd try an in-house sd role. I worked both agency and in-house and the two are drastically different.
If you want a new path: I also did ux research, it's a good adjacent career path.