I love writing and design. To me, writing and design are deeply entwined. We live in narrative—verbal and visual—and we learn through stories. As designer and writer, understanding people’s needs, desires, and cares is rooted in storytelling. Just as communication is at the heart of design, narrative is at the heart of communication.
Written 2010 © Jeanette Leagh
One need not be a design expert or scholar to know a thing or two about good service design. In fact, the discussion of service design and experience should include designers and non-designers alike. I like to think about how my dad would define ‘service.’ A check-up at Jiffy Lube, dining out, dry cleaning. For him, the experience—pleasant or otherwise—is not of utmost importance, though it is preferred. Rather, service for him is a means to an end. The oil gets changed, bellies satiated, shirts laundered. The attendant might be rude or the waiter may be disorganized, but what matters to my dad is that his car runs smoothly and his meal satisfies. My thoughts turn to my dad because, in his overly complex daily life, simplicity is both a luxury and a necessity.
Services facilitate the human need to balance complexity with simplicity. A masseuse melts away the stresses of a bothersome day. An accountant painstakingly itemizes your deductions so that you do not have to. Each service is an amalgamation of choreographed interactions and intentional tasks that pervade and (should) ease daily life. Because the world is now all the more expansive and immediate, the role of simplicity becomes increasingly paramount in managing and navigating our intricate lives. But what do I mean by ‘simplicity’ and ‘complexity’?
For me, simplicity materializes as the ease of use or clarity of task for both customer and service provider, and everyone in between. Let’s consider the service behind Netflix. One may argue that Netflix has spawned a generation of lazy hermits with its online-based DVD mail-in service, but it is nevertheless a well-choreographed one that efficiently coordinates an elaborate nation-wide movie rental process with uniquely simple points of interaction. Moreover, Netflix does itself a favor by keeping customer interactions to a minimum. And yet, customers do not feel neglected or uncared for because Netflix strategically assesses customer satisfaction via email and promptly recovers from the occasional malfunction. Netflix is an example of a service that has successfully designed layers of complex tasks and interactions to facilitate an otherwise cumbersome process with intelligent simplicity.
To be clear, complexity is not merely the opposite of simplicity. And whereas simplicity is the answer to complexity, complexity is not a response to simplicity. Complexity is, in my view, simply the way things are. Life is complicated. But let’s not fight it. Instead, why not use simplicity to manage the complexity? This is, of course, easier said than done. When it comes to complex services involving multiple stakeholders and diverse needs, the more we strive for simplicity in designing a service, the more tangled and numerous the details of the design process become.
The need for simplicity as a strategic tool in service design becomes especially evident after an experience with a complex service without simplicity as a counterbalance. Consider airport security—the TSA service experience is characterized by tasks that are unwieldy, time-consuming, and puzzling. Anxiety, frustration, confusion are common emotional grievances travelers experience during the TSA screening process. With tortuous lines and curt officers, it becomes understandable why many travelers panic—how many plastic bins will I need for my belongings, when should I take off my shoes, and where did I put that boarding pass? But perhaps TSA screening is not the culprit. Complex services, in the absence of simplicity, poses a messy problem.
We need thoughtful, clear guidelines for fulfilling the needs and desires of both customer and service provider, and everyone in between. Managing complexity with simplicity in service design is difficult because we are complex creatures with varying needs and ideas for satisfying them. But when carefully designed, simplicity in a service communicates the provider’s consideration for and appreciation of people’s time and resources. Moreover, well-crafted simplicity in service better lends itself to a delightful and memorable, even serendipitous, customer experience.
So should we do away with complexity all together? Service is not about eliminating complexity. In a way, we thrive on complexity. ‘Complexity’ is riddled with negative connotations—problem, difficulty, obstacle—but it is also a source of intrigue, stimulation, meaning. Imagine a world devoid of complexity. How dull! And improbable. We are good at complicating our lives, so we need services to manage the complexity. I think what we crave is simplified complexity. A delicate and meaningful balance in the face of such polarity is indeed both essential and luxurious because, in the end, we cannot live in simplicity without complexity.