PH1 Research's Service Transformation Methodology

How we combine Service Design, Behavioural Science & Design Thinking to transform organizations and their products/services

Since founding PH1 in 2012 as a UX studio the world has changed a lot and so have our capabilities.

Back then our goal was to improve conversions; today our goal is to transform how organizations operate and engage audiences. As the tools, data, and mindsets within organizations have evolved, so has our desire to deliver impact. This is also why have created and refined a methodology that incorporates service design, behavioural science, and design thinking.

I'd like to share our Service Transformation Methodology because it can help various teams —UX, research, CX, product, communication, human resources. sales— to find unique solutions to challenging problems.

We have used this method to:

• Transform how a large insurance firm trains and manages teams

• Enable startups to pivot to what customers and the market want

• Deliver universally accessible public health services

• Innovate the approach of a destination marketing organization

• Support universities to better meet the needs of students in the face of various disruption

Download the methodology here

Services impact a diverse range of internal and external stakeholders. Unfortunately many stakeholders aren’t engaged in key decisions and their needs aren’t considered. This is increasingly important as services must become more universally accessible and easy-to-use.

Our projects begin by mapping the stakeholder ecosystem and finding ways of bridging divides. We make sure that all voices are heard by conducting targeted consultations, co-creation workshops, and recruiting hard-to-reach audiences.

Research obsesses about what’s wrong with a service when it should be exploring what’s possible. Tools and tactics are constantly innovating and a small team can achieve more than ever before. Systemic research opens these possibilities by exploring a variety of potential service transformations.

We believe research is capable of more and that’s why our inspiration comes from behavioural science and data science. Our hybrid research approach evaluates existing services before guiding participants through exercises that focus on ‘What if?’

While strategic foresight exercises shine light on what’s possible, rapid prototyping provides a way to find out which are impactful and viable. It’s also cost-effective and provides unimaginable ROI by getting real insights from actual users. It also dispels assumptions that often limit innovation.

Service transformation isn’t a linear process. For every concept that fails you get one step closer to a true innovation. Usability, information architecture, marketing all become refined as a result. The process also unites teams around the impact created rather than siloed beliefs.

The uncomfortable truth is that innovation and transformation projects often fail. Designs are handed off without a consideration for how they need to be implemented and sweeping changes are planned without teams understanding the why or the how. We believe this final stage is the most critical to success.

We create service blueprints and lead training workshops to make sure your service transformation will succeed. Just like our projects begin bridging divides, we close them strengthening those relationships so we can deliver services that impact all.

Download the methodology here

Over the next two months we will be publishing a series of guides to enable in-house teams to do this work and become more customer-centric. If you would like to receive these guides send me an email arpy@ph1.ca