# Service Blueprint ## 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](http://www.servicedesigntools.org/tools/35)). {% hint style="warning" %} 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](https://www.ontario.ca/page/service-blueprints)). {% endhint %} ## 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. ![Example of a current state service blueprint for a restaurant. Source: MaRS Solutions Lab](/files/-Lm53LTIIrFhkzyEcpPP) ![Source: MaRS Solutions Lab](/files/-LmGhfA7QNwEkSXhFIp-) ![Source: MaRS Solutions Lab](/files/-LmGhp-YaDarjm1waVoy) {% hint style="info" %} ### 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: ***Service Design Tools: Service Blueprint:*** Online set of tools for Service Design with many examples of how a Service Blueprint is used: {% endhint %} --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://mars-solutions-lab.gitbook.io/living-guide-to-social-innovation-labs/seeing/design-research/service-blueprint.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.