Design for Service Implementation: Proposing a Service Implementation Framework and Exploring Design Practices

Although there has been a call for design for service implementation, knowledge on service implementation and design practices for it is fragmented. A lack of a theory of service implementation obstructs a holistic understanding of the phenomenon and the current status and limitation of design practices for it. This paper advances the understanding of service implementation by merging a systematic literature review with practitioner interviews. It presents a theoretical service implementation framework consisting of four service system levels and three purposes of practice. Contextualizing design practices in the framework highlighted designers’ contribution to service implementation at the organization level and actor level, while implying the need for advancing design practices at the networked systems level and process/resource level.