Service design for the educational sector

Service design has gained attention from various disciplines, including design, business, engineering, computer science, and economics. Higher education institutions have introduced service design programs to prepare professionals with competencies in guiding innovation through co-creation with users and delivering exceptional customer experiences that yield a good return on investment. This article aims to explore the integration of service design in higher education, as those educated in this field are expected to play crucial roles in driving innovation in private and public organizations.

Service Design is essentially the art of planning or creating interactions between humans and organizations.

In Service Design, we say that we should do our research before even thinking of proposing new solutions. The same should happen when we want to pitch the value of Service Design to someone. Before we can pitch we should:

• Know what the problems and the dreams the students have
• Know what convinces them (is it a numbers person, a stories lover, or a down-to-earth "I'll believe when I experience it" type of person)
• Know the culture and language of the student

Once you know that you can adapt the way to pitch the value of what you are doing to the students. Service design in the field of education has its own specific features that distinguish it from service design in other industries.

Key differences include:

• Audience Specifics: In education, we work with students who may belong to different age groups, have varying levels of education, and individualized needs. Therefore, service design in this field requires the development of solutions that take this diversity into account.

• Pedagogical Aspect: Service design in education is related to the development of effective teaching methods, the creation of educational programs, and support for educators in their work.

• Individualization and Adaptation: Each student may have a unique learning style and specific needs. Service design in education aims to provide the possibility of an individual approach to each student.

• Technology in Education: Utilizing modern technologies and online resources is an important aspect of service design in education, setting it apart from other industries

• Educational Standards and Regulation: There are specific educational standards and rules in the educational field that need to be considered when developing services.

• Safety and Confidentiality: Considering the involvement of minors in the learning process, service design in this field must address issues of safety and the protection of personal data.

• Assessment and Measurement of Educational Results: Having mechanisms for assessing the effectiveness of educational programs and methods is crucial in education.

The Key Components of Service Design in the Field of Education include:

1) Research and Analysis in the Learning Process: - Identifying the needs of students and teachers in the realm of service design.

- Thoroughly studying the clients' needs and issues, analyzing competitors, and researching the context in which the service is provided.

- The individuals responsible for service delivery components can understand how students perceive what they offer and how it fits into higher-level business processes. Identifying pain points and areas of improvement allows focusing efforts where it will have the greatest impact on enhancing service delivery, with a focus on the student experience.

2) Idea Generation and Innovative Approaches

Service design is an approach where end-users, in this case students, are the primary focus. The student experience is considered holistically, rather than focusing on individual processes that support service delivery.

The goal is to make learning more interactive and engaging for each student. This involves developing creative concepts and teaching methods to maximize student involvement, addressing identified issues, and meeting client needs.

Since its inception in the 1990s to modernize education design, the concept of service design has been explored and reevaluated from the perspectives of design, business, engineering, and computer science. In education, service design promotes more individualized, innovative, and effective learning experiences, providing an enhanced user experience and improving the quality of education.

Above all, service design helps identify individual needs and characteristics of students, enabling the development of educational programs, materials, and approaches tailored to their personal abilities and learning styles.

3) Prototyping and Testing New Educational Programs:

One of the primary methods of prototyping involves creating interactive online modules for teaching prototyping and use-case scenarios, which allow for the evaluation and refinement of the service concept. This includes generating visual samples and educational materials for testing in the learning process. It also involves conducting prototype testing with real users, analyzing the results obtained, and making necessary adjustments.

Currently, there is a surge in the development of online courses and educational platforms, which facilitate access to knowledge and increase student engagement in learning. Additionally, gamification elements are widely employed in educational programs and platforms to motivate students to actively participate in learning, earn rewards for achievements, and enhance their interest in education.

4) The Role of Technology and Digital Environment:

The first step towards improving the education design system involves evaluating formats, methods, and tools used in organizing the learning process with a shift towards virtualization. The use of digital technologies is an effective mechanism for supporting the multifaceted growth of educational institutions and experiences. A combination of modern digital resources allows for the facilitation of distance learning according to individualized educational programs, enabling students to engage in learning at any time and from anywhere. This approach also empowers individuals to manage their own learning outcomes, create personalized learning trajectories, and provides opportunities for students with disabilities. As a result, it redefines the social framework of human activities, creating opportunities for acquiring and enhancing knowledge, expanding professional skills, and upgrading qualifications when needed.

The incorporation of modern digital resources and information and communication technologies facilitates rapid exchanges of the latest achievements, expertise, and knowledge. This opens avenues for remote and blended learning, supports digital libraries, enhances academic mobility, and fosters collaborative research, integrating into the global scientific and educational sphere. This adaptability ensures compliance with modern socio-cultural and economic conditions while preserving unique characteristics and competitive advantages, thereby contributing to the creation of a unified electronic informational and educational environment. The practice of remote and blended learning establishes a realm of boundless educational possibilities, enhancing the quality of education for individuals, regardless of their geographic location or skills, by tailoring the experience to their interests and abilities.

5) Improvement and Adaptation:

Adapt your approaches to the needs and expectations of your audience. Take into account the feedback received to optimize educational programs and methodologies.

From practice, it becomes evident that many potential students often feel disappointment or encounter obstacles due to frequent issues with using university websites. The best university web resources provide clear information, even for those who are not yet students, and simplify the search for the necessary information.

• Use photos that reflect the values and priorities of your university. Visitors form opinions about your educational institution based on the images you publish.

• Highlight your strengths and achievements. Before learning about a new university, visitors want to understand why your educational institution is worth their attention and what you take pride in. Gather statistical data, rankings, and recognitions, and make them easily accessible for viewing.
• Provide convenient access to the list of specialties and programs. Prospective students are specifically looking for specialties and programs, not specific schools or faculties. According to research, a remarkable 48% of users did not know that the university offered the program they were looking for, even when it did.

• Clearly state application deadlines and provide a step-by-step description of the application process. Ask the prospective student to find the application deadline, and you might hear their frustration about how difficult it was to find this information.

6) Implementation and Monitoring:

The implementation of the updated service and monitoring its performance for further optimization is crucial. Effectively putting the updated approaches into practice in the learning process and continuously monitoring their results. Collaboration with educators and administration enables successful implementation of service design.

7) Assessment of Impact and Addressing Challenges:

Analyzing the results and effectiveness of my projects on the educational process and student outcomes is crucial. One of the biggest challenges is individualizing learning for different types of students, and I am actively working on finding optimal solutions.

For instance, a student engaged in extensive independent research can quickly grasp theoretical material, explore digital libraries, review works of contemporary progressive designers, and receive remote support from instructors. This allows them to allocate their free time towards specific practical efforts. Students have the autonomy to choose courses based on their needs, considering the expertise and practical experience of the instructor, the popularity of specific design directions, current trends, and more. Significant indicators of the positive impact of digitization on the educational process include improved academic achievements, increased participation in project assignments, independent scientific and creative exploration, and a heightened professional interest in specialized fields.

8) Modern Challenges and Changes in the Educational Process:

Due to quarantine measures from 2019-2020, distance learning technologies became the only possible way to continue education. The State Service for Quality of Education of Ukraine conducted a study on the use of distance learning technologies during the nationwide quarantine. According to the survey results, nearly 45% of the surveyed teachers regularly or as planned used distance technologies, almost 40% used them occasionally, and 15% of the respondents did not use distance technologies at all to organize the educational process before the introduction of quarantine restrictions (DSO, 2020). According to the report, higher arts education professionals who had to communicate virtually with students during distance learning changed not only their approach to knowledge transmission, but also their personal feelings about the distance between them, their emotions, and the individuality of the student.?

9) Values and Principles in Service Design for Education

Utilizing values and principles in the field of education. The main principles include adaptation to the audience's needs, increasing accessibility to education, and enhancing motivation for learning. Collaborative work between service designers, educators, and administration to ensure the highest level of education. Invitation to discussion and collaboration in the field of service design in educational institutions.

Therefore, service design in education differs by considering the specificities of the pedagogical process, individual students' needs, and the use of modern technologies in teaching.

Service design involves the use of a wide range of research methods to inform project development and approaches to its improvement. Analyzing primary and secondary sources, as well as qualitative and quantitative data, can provide valuable insights into students' perceptions and expectations regarding the quality of services. Research conducted with service personnel, both in the "backstage" and on the "frontstage," allows for a deeper exploration of high-risk areas. Additionally, this increases awareness among staff about the service delivery process, opportunities for service recovery, and understanding of students' needs, desires, and satisfaction levels. Broad consultations and contributions from staff responsible for various processes are crucial for capturing operations on both the front and back stages that underlie identified touchpoints for students.

It is important for students to remain at the center of attention throughout the project development. Participants in the design process should avoid delving too deeply into processes, operational issues, and discussions of "swings." They must consistently be reminded about the student who forms the basis of service improvements, experience design, and quality. To ensure the quality of the student experience, universities and colleges must ensure that it does not appear as a burden, but rather as an experience that adds value, or one that is so simple and understandable that it seems effortless. Students' experiences and expectations must be clearly understood and managed.

Below you can see a brief diagram of the Stages of service design and improvement initiatives for students