Service Design focuses on creating experiences and services designed around the needs and requirements of staff and students.  Automation uses technology to automate manual or repetitive tasks, with the aim of improving efficiency, reducing errors, freeing up time to focus on more value add activities. The two a related with the shared end goal; to enable a positive impact on the design and delivery of services. How can we use good service design principles to ensure that we use automation in meaningful ways that focus beyond KPIs and hard benefits, to ensure we are using new technologies creatively to maintain high quality accessible services keeping ‘the human in the loop’.