How to make tangible impact through service design? / Markus Hohl / Episode #147

What does it actually mean to be winning in service design? A question I think we don't ask ourselves often enough.

Because when you put your entire heart and soul into delivering a great project but the results aren't adopted by the organization, can you say that it was a success?

Most service design professionals I know genuinely want to make a tangible impact on the people and organizations they work with.

This means that your work can't stop at the research or idea stage. If the recommendations aren't operationalized, that amazing journey map you've created isn't worth a lot.

So how do you increase the likelihood that your work makes it into the real world? Well, in this episode, Markus Hohl, the global head of service design at JP Morgan, shares his approach.

The conversation with Markus shows again that we often tend to overcomplicate things. The encouraging thing is that you should actually do less, not more, to be more impactful.

Markus has found that by doubling down on just 3 simple things, he can get way more done inside the organization. Once you see what they are, it all makes sense as it goes with these things. But it can take years before you gain this clarity.

What I found really valuable is that Markus brings the agency and in-house perspective. As you'll hear, both have their advantages and drawbacks.

As always, enjoy and keep making a positive impact :)

--- [ 1. GUIDE ] -—

00:00 Welcome to episode 147
04:50 Who is Markus
05:20 60 second rapid fire
08:00 The journey
14:00 Roles and responsibilities
19:15 How do you know you're winning
23:45 It doesn't go anywhere
27:30 When service design works
30:00 Benefit of the doubt
35:00 Selling the work
41:00 The biggest hurdles
44:15 This gives confidence
47:00 The future of agencies
49:15 Closing thoughts

--- [ 2. LINKS ] ---

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/markushohl/
• Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind (book): https://amzn.to/3veH2dD

--- [ 3. SELLING SERVICE DESIGN WITH CONFIDENCE ] ---

For more information and instructions on how to apply head over to:
https://servicedesignshow.com/selling