The service sector has been identified as the main force of economic and potentially sustainable growth in most developed economies. Nevertheless, despite the role of services in today's economy, little is known about what drives service innovation and which tools and methods determine successful service design and development. This dissertation focuses on addressing the challenges associated with the design, development and operation of service offerings. In the first essay (Chapter II) we explore the design challenges of an organization that develops an experiential service. In experiential services, the customer value extends beyond the functional benefits of the service, and it encompasses the overall experience. We draw upon the perspective of the customer journey, which is widely used by design firms (e.g., IDEO), and we model the entire service experience as a process comprising individual service steps (also known as touchpoints). The value of the service is "co-produced" over several touchpoints between the customer and the service provider. We identify the non-monotonic effects of the co-production losses and service complexity on the provider's design decisions, (i.e., price), and the touchpoints she controls. Finally, we fully characterize the conditions under which the service provider may use these design decisions to effectively signal the experience potential of the service offering. In the second essay (Chapter III) we study the auto manufacturer's choice regarding whether to provide mobility service (e.g., car sharing) in conjunction with the traditional sales channel. A utility maximization model is used to characterize the consumer's choice between purchasing a vehicle, benefiting from the mobility service or relying on an outside option (e.g., public transportation). We characterize the benefit to the manufacturer of providing mobility service and the environmental implications of this strategy. In the third essay (Chapter IV) we study the implications of "reference point" effects on the optimal service design. We envision the service delivery as a two-stage process in which customer satisfaction is stochastic. The service provider needs to determine the optimal level of effort to exert at each stage, given that the customer experience at the first stage of the process can affect the expectations regarding the experience at the second stage of the process.

The purpose of this study is to learn more about the consumers' interaction with companies over different channels. It is conducted from a consumer's point of view, but the insights gained through this study will help companies to design and build better services. In this context, the concepts of User Experience, cross-channel and Customer Experience provide a theoretical framework. The new approach in this study is to combine the three concepts, their framing and their identified design elements. This conceptual framing contains a list of design elements with a positive influence on the service experience. However, the conceptual framing provides no answers on how to apply these design elements. In the methodology part, possible approaches are discussed. The heuristic evaluation used in the two case studies is a method that takes all three concepts from the theoretical framework into account. With the first heuristic, it is possible to analyze single touchpoints like User Experience demands. The following heuristics are used within a cross-channel context. Finally, the last heuristic is responsible for the holistic perspective from Customer Experience. The case studies are then conducted to verify the applicability of the design elements with the heuristic evaluation. The findings of the study were positive and suggest that the heuristic evaluation is a suitable method to analyze a company's service offerings. Additionally, the case studies lead to results which are useful for the two companies (Migros and Nestlé). The overall conclusion of this study is that the three concepts complement each other very well. User Experience is responsible for well designed touchpoints. Cross-channel expands the perspective on ecosystems and evaluates how the touchpoints operate together. Finally, Customer Experience analyzes the whole company and its touchpoints on a heuristic perspective.

While knowledge-intensive business services (KIBS) play an important role in industrialized economies, little research has focused on how best to support their design. The emerging understanding of service as a process of value cocreation – or collaborative value creation – can provide the foundations for this purpose; however, this body of literature lacks empirically grounded explanations of how value is actually cocreated and does not provide adequate design support for the specific context of KIBS. This research thus first identifies generative mechanisms of value cocreation in KIBS engagements; it then develops a design framework from this understanding; finally, it elaborates a modeling technique fulfilling the requirements derived from this design framework. A multiple-case study of two academic research and development service engagements, as a particular type of KIBS engagement, was first undertaken to identify generative mechanisms of value cocreation. Data was gathered through interviews, observation, and documentation, and was analyzed both inductively and deductively according to key concepts of value cocreation proposed in literature. Data from a third case study was then used to evaluate the ability of the modeling technique to support the analysis of value cocreation processes in KIBS engagements. Empirical findings identify two contextual factors; one core mechanism; six direct mechanisms; four supporting mechanisms; and two overall processes of value cocreation, aligning and integrating. These findings emphasize the strategic nature of value cocreation in KIBS engagements. Results include an empirically grounded design framework that identifies points of intervention to foster value cocreation in KIBS engagements, and from which modeling requirements are derived. To fulfill these requirements, a modeling technique Value Cocreation Modeling 2 (VCM2) was created by adapting and combining concepts from several existing modeling approaches developed for strategic actors modeling, value network modeling, and business intelligence modeling.

In 2018, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) remains a social stigma in many different cultures. In Sweden because of the advanced treatment for HIV (Smittskyddsinstitutet, 2012) and people's attitude towards it (Danziger, 1999), it is less stigmatized when compared to other societies. Since 2003 the annual number of people who immigrate to Sweden is increasing drastically. A significant amount of people come to Sweden from different cultures with different backgrounds. In today’s Swedish society, immigrants make up a portion of the population that cannot be neglected. The Swedish healthcare system is not ready for this demographic change. The social stigma of HIV along with other things, like anxiety and fear of positive test result, create barriers of not taking an HIV test. Looking into deficiencies of current HIV testing services by field research that helps to understand reasons behind the dilemma. Research methods also include literature review, statistics analysis, interview, and workshop. The purpose of this project is to create a more inclusive healthcare system for immigrants in Sweden. What the design outcome of this project is a service design proposal for HIV testing providers in Sweden with a focus on immigrants.

With dramatic lifestyle changes, chronic disease has become a significant problem for the health of modern people. The norm for many people is to live with chronic diseases, and migraine is one of the most common chronic diseases.  This thesis aims to investigate whether design can be used as an intervention to empower the experience of living with chronic disease. In this thesis, migraine was taken as an example of chronic disease.  The knowledge for this study was obtained from the field of cognitive behavioral therapy for migraine and gamification design as an intervention for cognitive behavioral therapy. A service design and a qualitative study were used as an approach to the study during the design process.  During the qualitative research, user survey and user interviews were conducted to collect data. Tools such as thematic analysis, affinity analysis, empathy map and persona were used to analyze the data and describe the findings.  The result is a mini-game service for the target group, presented by a concept plan, a system map, a service blueprint and a UI prototype. In this mini-game, the patients and the patients’ families and friends can participate together. Patients can learn more about their illness and adjust their mindset to cope with it, while their family and friends can learn about migraine and provide better support to the patient.  The service concept will be later evaluated by the target group using the Technology Acceptance Model.

På grund av teknikutvecklingen och digitaliseringens framfart möter dagens tjänsteföretag förändrade kundkrav och högre förväntningar. Exempelvis förväntar sig kunder personligt anpassade upplevelser och tjänster och produkter ska ha mer specifika egenskaper, certifieringar och vara hållbara. Det är även viktigt att kundens egna värderingar återspeglas hos företagen och att företagen hänger med i den digitala utvecklingen. Detta gör att företag ständigt måste arbeta med sin tjänsteutveckling för att erbjuda attraktiva tjänster och det som kunderna vill ha. SJ är ett av de företag som står inför detta och dessutom på en väldigt konkurrensutsatt marknad. För att agera på nya kundkrav och högre förväntningar har agila metoder och service design blivit två metoder som SJ och andra organisationer använder sig av i sin tjänsteutveckling.  Den här studien bygger på en fallstudie av SJ och i samråd med dem har vi valt att undersöka deras tjänsteutvecklingsprocesser där de använder både service design och agila metoder. Studiens syfte är att identifiera vilka möjligheter och utmaningar det finns med att kombinera service design och agila metoder i tjänsteutvecklingsprocesser i ett tjänsteföretag. Idag saknas studier som undersöker utvecklingsprocesser där metoderna kombineras. Genom att studera SJ som är ett stort tjänsteföretag kan resultat och slutsatser vara överförbara på andra stora tjänsteföretag. För att uppfylla syftet har vi genomfört åtta kvalitativa intervjuer med anställda på fallföretaget SJ. Därefter har det empiriska materialet ställts i relation till studiens teoretiska ramverk som innehåller forskning inom tjänsteutveckling, service design, agila metoder samt aktörer i tjänsteutveckling. Teorierna berör varför tjänsteutveckling är viktigt, organisationsstruktur och organisationskultur i relation till tjänsteutveckling, möjligheter och utmaningar med service design och agila metoder samt olika aktörer inom tjänsteutveckling. Studiens resultat visar att det finns både möjligheter och utmaningar med att kombinera service design och agila metoder i tjänsteutvecklingsprocesser. Möjligheterna är att det skapar bättre förutsättningar för innovation och framgångsrika tjänster. Utmaningarna med att kombinera metoderna är att det kan skapas en friktion i samarbetet, svårigheter att strukturera utvecklingsprocessen och att utvecklingsprocessen blir kostsam. Vår förhoppning med studien är att kunna vägleda både SJ och andra organisationer inom tjänstesektorn i sin tjänsteutveckling när de kombinerar service design och agila metoder.

This project puts the focus on promoting the importance of bringing attention to mental health in developing countries. It aims to connect people with mental disorders with the help needed to improve their wellbeing. Through the methodology of design thinking and theories of wellbeing and inclusive design, a design proposal is developed. With the situation of COVID-19, people’s wellbeing has become an important issue that needs to be addressed. Apart from physical health, mental health also plays a big role in bridging people into their optimum state of wellbeing. However, the decreasing number of available mental health services has made it difficult for the people to get the help needed, especially in developing countries such as Indonesia, where it had already been limited prior to the pandemic. The primary reason being how mental health is stigmatised, which hinders people from getting the help they need to improve wellbeing. The proposed service design, Discover the Stigma, shows a tool developed alongside stakeholders that enables people in Indonesia to get connected with the help needed and to understand, maintain, and/or improve their wellbeing. It is intended that the tool would provide comfort for people who feel stigmatised within the society and for society to understand them better.

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