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Expanding horizons

Due to Covid-19 we celebrated the 5th anniversary of the Service Design Days online. The overall theme for 2020 was ‘A blended tomorrow - expanding design horizons with technology’.

Understanding how to adapt to an unpredictable changing environment is crucial for organisations. Not only to remain relevant but also to contribute to a better society. Hence a shift to a people-centric approach is the key to unlock future horizons. The importance of people-centricity demands a broad-based view of where design can make a difference. The boundaries between products and services, systems and processes, are merging into integrated solutions. We need to think about our role in that.

How can we open up new horizons? Harvesting the potential of design for our teams, organisations, economy and planet, and contributing to a more sustainable and fair society that builds on people-centred values? How to address key challenges that we will face in the coming decades, and drive forward transformations fuelled by the interaction already underway between knowledge areas, such as design and technology? We explored shared future directions for design and non-design disciplines. By envisioning a tomorrow that’s inclusive, resilient and sustainable. Today and in the future, our challenge is to redevelop and blend existing services into holistic, integrated and responsible offerings. Looking at challenges in a systemic way and using technology wisely.

The 2020 program

This first online edition of the conference offered an expanded program through a new immersive digital experience. Like every year, at the core of the conference were the masterclasses, 15 in total, complemented with lectures, case studies and keynotes. They highlighted the theme and provided context for discussion during the conference.

Hundreds of enthusiastic strategic thinkers and doers from over 40 different countries throughout the world shared their experiences with each other. They had access to more than 40 hours of live sessions. All recordings were available afterwards. As add-on to the program we offered a special workshop on lean service design.

The line-up

A diverse group of experts toke the virtual stage at the anniversary conference. Below you will find the list of speakers and masterclass leaders working for agencies, universities, startups, and other small and large organisations.

Their fields of expertise span across the entire range of disciplines related  with human-centred innovation and service design, such as: social design, business design, systems thinking, (user) experience design, and design thinking.