Service Design

You’ll apply design methodologies and principles to real scenarios through collaborations with organisations working in enterprise, social and public roles. This approach brings real issues and opportunities that respond to current and future disruption or innovation. Collaborating in teams, you will move through the design process of deep research, issue reframing, creative concept generation, prototyping and user testing. In doing so, you’ll understand and experience how design tools enable you to imagine and deliver sustainable solutions.

There will be several opportunities to collaborate with others, but at a minimum, your programme will include 287.5 contact hours and 1512.5 independent study hours. Contact hours can consist of lectures, seminars, tutorials, critical forums and workshops, among other types of teaching delivery.

Your programme's Teaching types include briefings, projects, tutorials, seminars, lectures, critical forums, technical inductions, workshops, offsite visits and blended learning.

The programme is delivered across three terms and includes a combination of programme, School and College units.

The first two terms will take you from a foundation of the tools and methodologies to advanced techniques and management skills, which are applied through projects leading to the Independent Research Project in the third term.

Term 1

Service Design Foundation Methods and Materials (45 credits) encompasses the whole term and consists of lectures on the methods and materials of service design accompanied by three project sprints in which these methods are applied.

You will develop an understanding of core design processes and skills and demonstrate learning from the taught aspect of the programme through practical exercises that are applied to a live student project. The initial project develops a theoretical and practical understanding of the ecosystems of services, develops skills in research, design sprints and the interaction between humans, technology and systems.

• You will take part in a short “Icebreaker” project to deconstruct a service you are familiar with.
• A subsequent project explores how services are delivered through the “Future of Work”. This project assesses your ability to analyse and apply foundation methods and materials in a live project environment.
• The second half of the term is a project in collaboration with external organisations around a set of “Challenge Labs” exploring different areas of social, business and technological challenges. These typically include challenges around healthcare, technology ethics, business services, social impact and sustainability.

Term 2

On Advanced Service Design Methods (15 credits), you'll look at the role of the service designer in developing transformational programmes to reframe projects. You will develop your projects to a prototype level to validate and iterate your service concept. You will explore delivery across channels, including the human and ethical issues of emerging technology platforms such as AI.

All School of Design students will participate in the Grand Challenge (15 credits), School-wide unit. This unit aims to connect and challenge all students in the School by introducing a ‘wicked’ design problem that requires a cross-disciplinary approach to problem-solving involving an external international scientific or industry partner (or both). This unit and lecture series has successfully connected and disrupted disciplines, people, philosophies and approaches to design thinking whilst providing our student body with unique networking opportunities. 

You'll also select a School-wide elective (15 credits).

Across terms 1 and 2, you will participate in AcrossRCA (30 credits). This unit aims to support you in meeting the challenges of a complex, uncertain and changing world by bringing you together to work collaboratively in interdisciplinary teams on a series of themed projects informed by expertise within and beyond the College. These projects will challenge you to use your intellect and imagination to address key cultural, social, environmental and economic challenges. In doing so, you will develop and reflect on the abilities required to translate knowledge into action and help demonstrate the contribution the creative arts can make to our understanding and experience of the world.

Term 3

The self-directed Independent Research Project (60 credits) working in one of several Challenge Labs collaborating with external organisations that bring active projects and challenges. You will develop strategic visions with practical deliverable design interventions to create new services and systems. This project will be the core of the public output of the programme and contribute powerfully to public discourse on the value and suitability of the services and interactions we experience.

The project will be agreed upon in term 2, and an associated partner will be engaged. The project will develop innovative, transformational outcomes based on research, creativity and prototyping.

You will submit experiential outputs and provide a proof of concept for the service proposition, service experience or future vision.

AcrossRCA is a compulsory 30-credit unit which is delivered as part of all MA programmes.

Situated at the core of your RCA experience, this ambitious interdisciplinary College-wide unit supports you in responding to the challenges of complex, uncertain and changing physical and digital worlds. Developed in response to student feedback, AcrossRCA creates an exciting opportunity for you to collaborate meaningfully across programmes.

Challenging you to use your imagination and intellect to respond to urgent contemporary themes, this ambitious unit will provide you with the opportunity to:

• make connections across disciplines
• think critically about your creative practice
• develop creative networks within and beyond the College
• generate innovative responses to complex problems
• reflect on how to propose ideas for positive change in local and/or global contexts

AcrossRCA launches with a series of presentations and panel discussions from acclaimed speakers who will introduce the themes and act as inspirational starting points for your collaborative team response.

Delivered online and in-person across two terms, the unit has been designed to complement your disciplinary studies and to provide you with a platform to thrive beyond graduation.

You will work on a range of live projects from industry that align to different Challenge Labs: 

1. Social Impact – delivering transformation
2. Financial Services – research project on current trends
3. Liveable Planet – exploring system change for sustainability
4. Service Futures – new models for service design
5. Healthcare – behaviour change and better health

The curriculum works across the RCA and our partner establishments, blending design expertise across all departments with technology and business management from London business schools and the Department of Computing at Imperial College London.