Chapter 1

“It all just clicked”: Experiences of finding and using service design in higher education

Authors: Michael Doherty, Radka Newton & Jean Mutton 

Abstract

Service design is a collaborative venture that values processes of co-creation drawing on a wide and diverse range of voices. Content for this chapter was crowdsourced through an open call promoted widely though a variety of social media for the duration of six months. The chapter draws on the accounts of 19 contributors who told us how they first came into contact with service design, how they incorporated the methodology into their perspectives and practices, and how they have used service design tools to bring about positive change in their institutions and for their students and colleagues. There is a common challenge that people cannot see an ‘in’, an opportunity to take their first steps into a new field of practice. This chapter is full of inspiring and diverse examples of how people have made these first steps and then built up their capabilities in service and human-centred design. 

Authors

Michael Doherty  

Michael is Professor of Law, and Associate Head of the Law School, at Lancaster University. He is co-author of Public Law (3rd edn, Routledge 2023). He is active in legal education scholarship, co-created the Connecting Legal Education online community, and is a former Chair of the Association of Law Teachers. Michael’s work in legal and service design encompasses education, cultural studies and disciplinarity. He the founding editor-in-chief of Legal Design Journal. 

Radka Newton  

Radka’s personal experience of being an international student contributed to her professional calling to ensure that as educators we create challenging yet attainable education environments. As a continuous improvement and service excellence scholar, she has grown a significant expertise in combining executive coaching, organisation change practice and service design. Radka is a Personal Chair in Management Education and Innovation and a co-founder of the Service Design in Education network. 

Jean Mutton   

Following a degree in Educational Research, Jean began a career in Higher Education academic administration where she managed many Registry and Faculty-based administration teams, covering the student journey from Admissions to Graduation. Since 2015, Jean has been working as a consultant across the sector, using human-centred design for process improvement to enhance the student and staff experience. Jean is a co-founder of the Service Design in Education network.