Recently, I turned 43... I don't really celebrate my birthdays anymore.

Don't worry; I have an amazing wife who makes sure there's always cake.

But I do always try to take a moment and reflect on my past year because “The only time you should ever look back, is to see how far you've come.”

Well, today, it's not just about my journey; it's about ours.

We've hit a massive Service Design Show milestone: 200 episodes!

That's a new interview every two weeks for over 8 years.

And by now, we've clocked in over 500.000 listens to our conversations. Truly mind-boggling.

Especially when you consider how niche our field is (still). It tells me what I do matters to people like you.

Honestly, if I had to, I'd still do this show just for my own learning... but knowing you're out there makes it so much better.

To celebrate, I'm flipping the script. For this episode, it's me answering YOUR questions. Some are about service design, some get a bit personal...

Here's a sneak peek:

• Is Journey Management the next big thing?
• Will service design disappear?
• How does the Show make money?
• How do I keep sane working solo?

You might be surprised by some of the answers.

Guess, there's only one way to find out...

This episode was a lot of fun and quite a challenge to produce. Let me know if you like this format – maybe we'll do a follow up...

Take care,

~ Marc

--- [ 1. GUIDE ] ---

00:00 Welcome to episode 200

01:50 Why Service Design

04:30 Lessons learned from 200+ conversations

10:15 The business model

16:15 How to stay healthy and sane

25:00 Communicating service design

31:00 Designing timeless services

36:00 Is Journey Management the next big thing

40:00 Where are things going

--- [ 2. LINKS ] ---

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcfonteijn/
• https://www.servicedesignshow.com/circle/

--- [ 3. CIRCLE ] ---

Join our private community with smart and generous in-house service design professionals.

⁠https://servicedesignshow.com/circle

Is design facing a crisis? You don't have to spend much time on LinkedIn to read about the recent layoffs, studio closures, and debates about our value. Whether or not you call it a crisis, it's hard to deny that things have been shaken up recently. But instead of focusing on surface level symptoms, let's dive deeper. In this episode, we sit down with Yvonne Tran, design director at the New York Times, to explore the underlying forces that shape design. Where are we coming from, and what could be its next destination. Why is design in its current state? Is this a backlash against the widespread understanding of "design thinking"? If everyone's a designer, what's the unique value a professional brings? Despite the challenges, Yvonne still sees a bright future for design. As our clients and colleagues evolve and mature, so must we. In our conversation, Yvonne outlined three key areas where design can continue to provide unique value. A thought-provoking episode for anyone interested in new ways to think about how to keep playing a meaningful role in the future. It's all too easy to get bogged down in the daily grind. What I enjoyed about this conversation with Yvonne is that we zoomed out and challenged our perspectives. Let's look beyond the horizon of this quarter and make decisions that are grounded in a long-term perspective. Inspired? Share this with someone who needs to hear it. Take care, ~ Marc

--- [ 1. GUIDE ] ---

00:00 Welcome to Episode 199

03:30 Who is Yvonne

04:30 How she stumbled to SD

06:00 Lightning Round

10:00 Design, Designers, & Innovation

14:00 The promise of design thinking

17:30 What's the impact

27:00 The new role of design community

37:00 Aligning people's expectations

39:30 How to accelerate demand

44:00 How to measure success

48:30 One takeaway

--- [ 2. LINKS ] ---

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/yvonnetran/
• Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer (Book) - https://a.co/d/3Jho54D

--- [ 3. CIRCLE ] ---

Join our private community for in-house service design professionals. ⁠https://servicedesignshow.com/circle

This has to stop... I don't care what they say. Chatbots s*ck.

But we, as service design professionals, have the power to make things better. Sure, ChatGPT and Google Gemini are impressive tools, but a chatbot on a company's website? Probably one of the most frustrating experiences you can have these days. This trend toward replacing humans in service delivery is a growing concern. There's nothing wrong with trying to optimize processes. It becomes a problem when it's done in a mindless way to solely cut costs at the expense of the user experience. Our guest, ​Cameron Tonkinwise​, makes a compelling case for preserving the human element in service delivery. Because removing this vital component erodes something incredibly valuable that AI (or any other tech) can't and will never be able to replicate. As you can imagine, simply pointing out the problem isn't enough. So, in our conversation, we explore how to make a strong case for human-driven services... even to the most skeptical stakeholders. Spoiler: Waiting for our clients to change their minds isn't the answer. It requires a proactive approach on our part. If you work in a product or tech-driven environment, this episode will hopefully give you the energy and ideas to challenge the relentless push for short-term optimization. The chat with Cameron reminded me that we have a responsibility to design the future we want to see rather than just being of service to others. Enjoy the conversation and keep making a positive impact! Take care, ~ Marc

--- [ 1. GUIDE ] ---

00:00 This is Episode 198

04:00 Who is Cameron

05:00 How he stumbled to SD

12:30 the current perspective to SD

15:00 the ideal outcome

16:45 A vastly uneducated community

24:00 Why the model isn't adopted

26:00 How to support the current economy

29:30 Hockey puck story

33:30 Thoughts in AI

39:00 What you can be offering

41:30 Expressing the need

45:00 Importance of frontline observation

50:00 One practical takeaway

52:00 Connect with Cameron

--- [ 2. LINKS ] ---

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/cameron-tonkinwise-80a5987/

--- [ 3. CIRCLE ] ---

Join our private community for in-house service design professionals. ⁠https://servicedesignshow.com/circle