As service, service design, service innovation are recognized as a potential approach for business and social innovation, a variety of projects have been launched, and methods and concepts have been developed from various disciplines, including design, organization studies, management, marketing and so on. A plenty of methods are already out there, but scattered without a central understanding. Service practitioners thus have difficulties to choose and apply a relevant set of methods. Researchers are also confused, as there are hardly agreed terminologies or concepts.
We started the ATLAS project to tackle this needs. We aimed to create a holistic, trans-disciplinary map of service co-creation methodologies, tools and project contingencies. We are the Atlas project team, joint from three different research groups from different disciplines: ENCORE from Design, Simlab & BIT IRIS from Industrial Management and Engineering. We had started our collaboration as a joint multi-disciplinary research group, ”With & For Citizens”, a thematic group supported by Aalto Service Factory.
It is a quite ambitious aim. However, we took a pragmatic, empirical approach, but with depth and iterations. The three research groups have conducted a variety projects related to service design, innovation, and co-design during the past decade. We selected 13 platform projects and did cross-case analysis in order to identify:
- What kind of tools and methods were used in those different projects?
- What dimensions, properties, or contingencies do the projects constitute of?
- What are the relationships between methods and project contexts?
- What theoretical concepts and disciplines underlie the projects and methods?
Through a series of Sprint and collaborative, hands-on workshops, we identified 10 methods that are commonly used but in variants and important dimensions that the project constitute of. The dimensions include motivation of co-creation, object of design, roles of participants (interests, knowledge, and power), mindsets of facilitation, purpose of co-creation events and methods etc. Our aim in the beginning was to create an actual ”map” where methods are placed onto the dimensions, which can serve as a sort of guideline for choosing ’right’ methods. However, we soon realized that it is very challenging, if any possible, to create such map with predefined guidelines. There are several good (both theoretical and empirical) reasons for this:
- It is not that the service co-creation process starts from always one fixed entry, and follow some path. The service co-creation projects could start from many various kinds of motivations, organizations, top-down or bottom-up, institution-driven citizen-driven and so on!
- Because every project is different, the same methods are modified in different ways corresponding to unique local context of project.
- The co-creation process is not always predefined from the beginning, but emergent and evolving as collaborators shape their actions, make sense of a shared goal and shape and reshape directions according to that.
The Atlas researchers agreed that we need a more dynamic perspective towards map creation: Instead of one map that attempts to represent multiple elements, the Atlas map should include multi-dimensions and provide various ways of navigating with multiple and flexible entry points and paths. Then how can we achieve this?
The ’game’ and ’tangibility’ kicked in this exploration. The game format allows players to choose an entry point based on their aims, interests and contexts. The game structure and rules support turn-taking, negotiation and prioritization. Thus players can construct their own paths by discussing together. While playing the game, participants can discover and learn various components (in this case, dimensions and tools for service co-creation). In addition, tangible and visual elements can serve as shared objects for participants, helping them to express their (different) views and ideas. The tangible and visual elements also trigger participants to have new perspectives.
The first Atlas game was inspired by a Finnish board game called Afrikan tähti. The basic structure was a geographic map, consisting of three island – the island of project definition, of participants, and of methods and tools.
First version of Atlas game based on island traveling metaphor
The Atlas researchers played this game with various organizations and research groups inside and outside of Finland. While the game format was well received, we realized that this geographic map with path-based exploration was too restrictive. The participants wanted to create their own unique path and flexibly jump from one topic to another, because in real projects, it does not happen in a way that project plan is all defined first, and move to decide participants, and then choose the relevant methods. Things are emergent and decisions should be made along the way.
Thus, instead of this ’geographical map’ metaphor, we decided to develop ’Puzzle game.’ With hexagon-shape cards, participants can build their own paths and directions.
The Atlas game 2.0
Fundamental dimensions are made into five different card sets: 1) Motivation for co-creation, 2) Project defining, 3) Methodological choice, 4) Participants, and 5) Challenges.
Since Autumn 2013, this new version of the Atlas game has been tested and played with many different organizations in various events, including Tekes Brunch, Aalto Service Factory’s Service Design Evening event etc. The game has been also played in universities for teaching the students about service co-creation. We updated and enhanced the game elements and the dimension contents through this iterative process. In this sense, the Atlas game development and play not only help participants learn about service co-creation but also the Atlas researchers to tangibly explore knowledge that is embedded in the game.
The Atlas game will be soon launched as open-access materials. We will come back soon with the info of how to download and play the Atlas game!
For more about Atlas game: atlas-research.fi
Author:
Jung-Joo Lee Academic Community Director at Aalto Service Factory; Postdoctoral researcher in Department of Design at Aalto University
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