The Synergy Between Service Design and Human Stories

Hey there!

As you may know, I’m passionate about Service Design. But you might be wondering, how do people’s interviews and Service Design fit together? Well, it turns out they align quite seamlessly.

Let’s start from the beginning.

Skilled to Empathize and Understand People

I was curious to understand people better, so I pursued a bachelor’s degree in Social Education. This program explored human psychology, behavior, genetics, social research, teaching methods, and more. It gave me hands-on experiences in various public and private settings. It’s hard to name all, but to point out a few - support centers for victims of human trafficking and interpersonal violence, orphanages, elderly centers, the police, prison, educational organizations, various businesses, and more.

This program empowered me to empathize and understand a wide array of people and their lives.

Global Human Exploration

Right after graduation, my curiosity about people led me to international adventures. I participated in exchange programs that took me to another continent, where I lived with host families and experienced different lives and mindsets.

I stayed with four host families for durations ranging from two weeks to a whole year.

That’s a substantial period to witness a different life from the inside!

The World Through a Management Lens

So, I felt like I could understand and research people well. I became curious to understand how organizations are managed for people to work and receive services. I pursued a Master’s in Management and Leadership, where I learned to understand organizational processes from a management perspective. This gave me a whole new perspective on the processes of any organization that came my way.

People’s Stories Inspiring Journalism

During all this time, alongside my academic journey, I was involved in a private real estate business and also worked as a social educator. This provided me with the perfect opportunity to further understand people and hear countless experiences.

Hearing so many people and their needs motivated me to start writing and publishing life story articles in the media.

This essentially led me to journalism, which has been my side work and passion for the past 5 years. I simply love people.

Natural progression to Service Design

Next on the journey, I was offered a managerial position. While delving into the existing situation in the organization, I noticed issues with the services – both customers and employees were facing challenges. And I had one and only question - how to actually design services that meet customers’ needs? My maternity leave set me back from this position and gave me the time to dig deeper.

That’s when I stumbled upon Service Design – a treasure trove of knowledge, tools, methods, and a mindset aimed at improving human experiences. I dove into Service Design, attended workshops, connected with mentors globally, and fell in love with it!

I hadn’t even finished my maternity leave when I started my International Master’s degree in Service Design. That’s a huge step as this program is part of the Erasmus Mundus study program, with fierce competition – 700 applicants for just 30 spots. And more - this is not just a simple program - there are 30 on-site students from 20 countries - imagine the diversity in our class!

Service Design focuses on enhancing services to meet people’s needs, while Human Stories revolve around engaging with people, comprehending their needs. It’s a perfect match!