Examination arrangement

Course content

The course builds basic skills in service design and how these can be adapted to work in your own business or organization. The purpose is to increase competence which enables the participants to contribute to a better experience for the service recipient. The course's structure also focuses on the opportunities and challenges that arise as a result of technology development and digitalisation in the services of the future. The course Services for All focuses more specifically on universal design of services, by learning how to include a greater diversity of perspectives in the service design process and service practice. The course includes an overview of how to relate to regulation and legislation on universal design of services. You learn how to collaborate in a conscious way with user organizations, people with varying degrees of exclusion related to drugs, psychiatry, loneliness, age, disability, learning difficulties or other facilitation needs. Universal service design differs from universal (physical) design, human-centered product design or other practice in that it uses the intangible, material and value-focused approaches in service design to work with a variety of perspectives, contact points and visual storytelling in a way that is good adapted to the complex problem understanding of the service apparatus. The course also takes a relational perspective on the design process, by focusing on shifting the focus from individual-based and short-term solutions and towards a situation where services contribute to strengthening relationships and values ​​and to creating socially sustainable services. The theme for assignments, exercises and project work will largely be based on projects that the participant is already working on and has knowledge of. This means that the exercises and project work are linked to specific ‘cases’ that are relevant and relevant to the organization, business or subject area from which the participant comes. Services as a case are interpreted here broadly and include everything that delivers value to an end user; everything from mobility such as bus and train, to health and care services, education, home delivery to banking services, internet, electricity delivery and other consumer services. This means that the course participants can in practice be at work during the course and can take the result home to their organization or business and use it directly in the further development of the service they offer.

Learning outcome

Knowledge: After completing the course

• the candidate can describe what service design is

• the candidate has knowledge of how different people experience services, and how to use these perspectives in a meaningful way in a service design process

• the candidate has a basic overview of current issues regarding universal service design in the public and private sector

• the candidate knows how he or she should relate to regulations within universal design of services

• the candidate can identify key principles (user-centered, co-creative, holistic, visual, tested) in service design

• the candidate has knowledge of current discussions about relational welfare and how principles from service design can be used to strengthen relationships between key actors in a service

• the candidate has an understanding of the challenges surrounding access to welfare services and can create proposals that are communicable using basic service design tools

• the candidate can visualize and actively participate in a service design process

• the candidate has knowledge of the prerequisites for successful change processes from a human-centered point of view (leadership, anchoring, decision-making basis, organization, creativity) that ultimately benefits the end user, the community around the end user, service provider and society

• the candidate has knowledge of the role technology and digitalisation can both lead to exclusion, or can create new and better services

• the candidate know relevant cases within universal service design in Norway and internationally.

Skills: After completing the course

• the candidate has training in the application of principles, current legislation and the use of various methods of service development for all people

• the candidate has insight into how service design tools including visualization, storytelling and use of business travel can contribute to communicating potential for improvement and developing better services • the candidate can formulate an issue related to specific user groups and further plan a service design process

• the candidate can formulate insights related to issues around accessibility in a convincing way

• the candidate can prepare, document, interpret and analyze insight data with methods that are sensitive in relation to facilitation

• the candidate can include and communicate relevant actors in universal service design as well as meet their wishes and needs in the design process and develop solution proposals for improved or new service

• the candidate can use the service design methodology into his organization or company

General competence: After completing the course the candidate has expanded understanding and ability to create new and value-creating services that benefit end users, service providers and society

Learning methods and activities

Course participants are put together in groups so that there is a correct group composition of people from different companies and enterprises.

Online digital teaching from NTNU Trondheim and NTNU Gjøvik.

Work on project assignment 15 hours

Collection 1, 15 hours

Online teaching between sessions 1 and 2 including colt and guidance, 7.5 hours

Work on project 40 hours

Collection 2, Trondheim 15 hours

Work with project report before submission: 100 hours

Compulsory assignments

• Mandatory presence
• Two deliverables

Further on evaluation

Mandatory participation in Sessions 1 and 2 is registered as approved / not approved. Participation in online teaching is registered as approved / not approved. Works consist of a written project report that can be submitted individually or in groups. If you choose group submission, the same grade will be given to all group members.

Lack of attendance / participation in gatherings and teaching can be assessed on the basis of an application to the Department of Design.

Specific conditions

Recommended previous knowledge

The primary target group is managers, project managers and advisers in the private and public sector. The need for this course will apply to all sectors and disciplines that work with digitization processes in connection with service development and service innovation. The secondary target group is project staff, developers, designers and other participants in service development including end-user organizations.

Required previous knowledge

Minimum completed bachelor's degree in addition to two years of relevant professional experience.

For the course to count as a part of the MTDO master, the bachelor's degree must be within one of the techical disciplines approved by MTDO.

Course materials

This Is Service Design Doing: Applying Service Design Thinking in the Real World (Stickdorn, et al, 2018) Articles and video material are made available upon study start.