Good Services: How to Design Services that Work Paperback – March 3, 2020

I’m not going to let the design detract from my review of the content, which is fantastic. There’s a lot of very clear information in this little book.That said, the design is insane. And by design, I mostly mean the typesetting. Everything is bold Helvetica, with no space between paragraphs, and very little to break up long passages of text that often span two full facing pages. Luckily, the text is well written, taking good advantage of plain language principles. The text is incredibly poorly formatted, but it’s easier to read than I would have guessed.Some of the text colors may be problematic for people with low vision, but I actually liked them. I thought they were a bold choice (no pun intended).I saw a mention of typos in another review, and I can’t help but wonder if it’s not obvious that this is written in British English. I’m occasionally surprised by British spellings of some less common words, but nothing jumped out as a typo. It was a little odd reading Mike Monteiro’s forward with British spellings on his words, but there’s really no reason they shouldn’t be formatted like the rest of the book.If you’re really put off by the reviews of the design, get the ebook. It’s a bargain of a book, with a lot more packed in than you might get from a Rosenfeld book for more than twice the price. Even with the design, I’m glad to have gotten it in print, so I can have it as a reference I can flip through.

If you are interested in a well written, common sense book on Service Design this is the book you want to read. Very informative and provides valuable insight into user centered design practices that align to Services. I highly recommend this book. The visual design and attention to thoughtful layout is a plus. A beautiful book inside and out.

Body paragraphs in Helvetica Bold? Who allowed this?The leading is poor, the line length is inaccessible, the margins are nonexistent. It's not a graphic design book, but as a design book, it should be at least as readable as any other nonfiction. Right?!The plain language introduction to service design principles is nice. And the fluorescent colors are eye-catching. (Except when neon orange is used for body paragraphs - but who needs accessibility anyway? Certainly not government designers.)

Another masterpiece. Reading this helped me finally bolt down the basics of "Service Design." The book is split into 15 principles, each with memorable examples and helpful summary pages. I'm a little surprised this isn't mandatory reading for government designers in the states (or contractors), because the principles listed here are much more relevant than the material we often find within the realm of UX/product design. Notably, I appreciated principle 11 in particular as Lou points out "A lack of diversity in your team = lack of inclusion in your service"... which is so incredibly true.

Within consulting, services are one of the more challenging concepts to explain to someone when you don't have the right words. As a result, you either overcomplicate them, over-simplify them, or just say things that create more confusion.Service Design, as a discipline, is also tough to define when you don't have a straightforward way to explain what a service is and how they impact the world around them.In this book, Lou Downe defines a service in the most elegantly simple yet quickly understood way I've ever heard/read, "Something that helps someone do something." It doesn't get easier than that.Lou's 15 principles guide readers, with clear examples of failures and successes, on what makes up good services. These examples are easy to understand and show how each principle makes a fundamental difference in how it could change the user's experience.I would encourage this book to be the first book any aspiring Service Designer reads in their growth journey. Before adequately designing services, you must understand what they are, explain them to a 5-year-old, and demonstrate their value to a CEO. This book will help you do just that and give you principles to help you design good services that will benefit everyone.I would also encourage anyone in government or business to read this book, especially if you deploy digital solutions. Understanding the services you provide or are a part of will significantly impact how you deliver those solutions.

This book is an excellent articulation of service design, why it is necessary, and the tenets of what defines good services. Every chapter/principle is so very relevant to how experience is the primary driver of a customer relationship with products and services. Once I opened it, I could not put it down. I keep it on my desk and reference it in multiple conversations with colleagues almost every day. Bottom line, I find myself wanting to buy this book and hand it to everyone I work with to have a common language and purpose. Good Services is an essential guide for designers and industry leaders who work in service delivery.

For anyone new to the idea of service design, consider this an amazing intro into the power and impact of services. It will change what you expect from the services you use on a daily basis.For service designers, this is one of those books that should always be close at hand to act as a reality check when you're lost in the thick of a project.What's so special about this book? Services account for nearly 80% of the U.S. economy, which means they impact all of us every single day. We all have service horror stories from the doctor's office, the DMV, or the checkout line at Walmart. These services don't feel designed - they feel accidental. Lou has been making proven, good services for awhile now and they bring that rare experience into these pages.