This Masterclass was requested by one of our UX Directors in the UX Inner Circle. Note- that is one of the perks of Inner Circle membership- request a topic (members reach out on our Slack channel).
In explaining why the topic was of interest, they mentioned one of the classic mistakes in hiring UX designers:
“Nobody is really clear on the actual roles and responsibilities between UX Researchers, Interaction Designers, and Visual Designers. The confusion in the granular distinctions between these roles is leading to a loss of time and energy in the hiring process”. With an existing UX team in place, this UX Director felt that the process should be more streamlined and efficient.
Service Design runs into similar problems… Why? Namely, because Service Design is unfamiliar to many UX professionals (even though it’s under the same family unit as UX). While UX Design and its associated roles can get away with delivering tactical value, Service Design, on the other hand, requires systems thinking and org-wide “Team Sport” approaches. Without understanding what Service Designers are supposed to be doing, you run the risk of fixing a tactical issue and missing out on a system issue, such as a policy or procedure that governs the problem and solution.
As a result, getting the hiring of UX and Service Design roles right is a business imperative. There’s no room for hiring who you think you are hiring without really understanding deeply roles and responsibilities. At its core, hiring UX and Service Design roles is a UX management issue (See building a center of excellence) tied to ROI.
