The 26 Rudiments of Service Design

The 26 Rudiments of Service Design

image

January 14, 2021

What's a rudiment?

Like most art forms, drumming is built upon blocks of knowledge & technique that are foundational to learning the instrument. These blocks are called rudiments.

Now there may be over 1,000 rudiments internationally, but the Percussive Arts Society has identified 40 rudiments (of which 26 are considered essential).

These are grouped into 4 main categories (Rolls,Diddles, Flams and Drags) and work across all styles of music. After struggling for an hour behind the kit trying to perfect Triple Ratamacues at a super soft volume, got me thinking - What would the 26 Rudiments of Service Design Be?

What are the foundational building blocks of a service, that would work across different industries? Off the top of my head, here’s my version of the ‘26 Service Design Rudiments’ that sit across the four categories of Information, Usability, Helpfulness and Outcomes.

Information

  • Accurate
  • Accesible
  • On Time
  • Tailored
  • Through the right channel
  • Supports decision making

Usability

  • Seamless handover of information - ‘no repeat stories’
  • Proactively calls out blind spots for the person using the service.
  • Enables people to know where they are ‘in the journey’
  • Agnostic of device, software, location
  • Doesn’t create experts
  • Minimum effort, maximum outcome
  • Low switching cost from a previous service
  • Is Reliable and Stable
  • People feel safe to use the service

Helpfulness

  • Easy to find
  • Friendly
  • Delivered with expertise
  • Doesn’t create more questions
  • Answers the original question
  • Is available when needed
  • Delivers on the users intended outcome

Outcomes

  • Provides clarity and the reasoning behind any decisions made
  • Gives an opportunity for feedback
  • Matches the original goal
  • Proactively anticipates future needs

So what’s missing? What would be your 26 service design rudiments? Let me know ... hello@plew.com.au

🦶