Service Blueprint
A service blueprint is an operational tool that describes the nature and characteristics of a service interaction in sufficient detail to verify, implement and maintain the service.
Defining Service Blueprints
Service Blueprints are based on a graphical technique that displays the process functions above and below the line of visibility to the customer: all the touchpoints (i.e. where the service and customer interact) and the back-stage processes are documented and aligned to the user experience (Service Design Tools).
Think about a service like a theatre performance. The audience enjoys a show which appears to occur seamlessly, but behind the scenes, numerous people are actively performing backstage support activities, so the performance appears effortless to the audience.
Similarly, in a service delivery experience, the 'end user' engages with specific touchpoints, but these are supported by a network of activities or infrastructure which supports a seamless user journey experience. A service blueprint visualizes a service so that elements of what users experience are combined with supporting elements that users are unaware of (Service Design Playbook).
Examples and Resources
The purpose of a service blueprint is to:
Identify areas for change in a service delivery process
Provide a comprehensive overview of a new service or prototype
Highlight how different groups of people can best work together
See the examples below for a service blueprint of a restaurant dining experience, and compare the current state and future state of the service.
Key Resources
Service Design Playbook: Service Blueprints: Online playbook that describes service design blueprint and other tools used by the Government Ontario Digital Service to design for users: https://www.ontario.ca/page/service-blueprints
Service Design Tools: Service Blueprint: Online set of tools for Service Design with many examples of how a Service Blueprint is used: http://www.servicedesigntools.org/tools/35
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