The School of Leadership and Management - Level 6 Service Designer

Who is it for

As public sector organisations continue to modernise services and improve user experiences, service design and improvement is becoming an increasingly important capability across both public and the third sectors. >Download Level 6 Service Designer overview pack (pdf)

This apprenticeship provides a practical and strategic route to developing professionals who can:

1. solve complex service challenges,
2. improve experiences,
3. lead and drive innovation,
4. and deliver measurable organisational impact.

The broad purpose of service designers is to improve/redesign services currently offered or develop/design new service propositions to meet the needs of the user as well as the business and other stakeholders. Service designers take a user-centred, collaborative and exploratory approach to design the new service, iterating toward implementation.

They work collaboratively with service/product owners and multidisciplinary teams; to (re)design services:

• from end to end (the start of a process to the very end step they take),
• from front to back (both user-facing and back office to create a seamless service) and
• cross-channel (to seamlessly and often interchangeably deliver the service through the various available platforms, which sometimes – but not always – include digital touch points).

In short, the purpose of a services designer is to (re)design services collaboratively and iteratively, taking a user-centred approach. In their daily work, an employee in this occupation interacts with a wide range of internal stakeholders, from front-line staff to service managers, senior leaders to heads of the organisation. If involved in the research, they also interact with a range of external stakeholders, which may include members of the public and individuals working in other organisations.

An employee in this occupation will be responsible for guiding and facilitating the (re)design of a service, product, or solution, ensuring the work is user centred. Increasingly, service designers design with the environment as a key stakeholder, creating services that serve the triple bottom line (profit, people, planet). They are responsible for selecting the most useful methodologies, tools, and techniques for use in the service design and continually work between a macro and micro view, ensuring the work has pace/is progressing and that the strategic view is not lost within the work.

Organisations increasingly investing in service design capability to e.g. improve customer satisfaction, modernise services, reduce operational inefficiencies, increase digital adoption, and build more resilient organisations. This apprenticeship enables employers to develop these capabilities internally rather than relying solely on external consultancy support.

One of the biggest barriers in organisations is siloed working. This apprenticeship will encourage multidisciplinary collaboration, shared ownership of outcomes and system wide thinking.

Apprentices will learn facilitation, stakeholder management, collaborative design techniques, leadership and coaching styles and techniques that will help to bridge gaps between: policy, operations, digital, communications, finance, and frontline delivery teams.

Who is eligible?

• A programme for individuals looking to design and improve services across pubic, private and charitable organisations.
• Suitable for both new entrants and existing professionals developing their service design knowledge, skills, capabilities and behaviours.
• No formal qualifications are required, other than – learners will be required to demonstrate a minimum level 2 achievement in English and Maths functional skills. We will support learners to achieve this if they do not possess the required qualifications, or learners and their employers can now elect to forego this requirement and opt out. We will discuss this with the learner and their employer during onboarding.
• It would also be beneficial for the learner to have undertaken a qualification up to level 5 in a business, management, project or leadership discipline, however this is not essential as the learners years of experience and career roles will be taken into during the initial eligibility review and recognition of prior learning and experience (RPLE).
• The programme is funded through the Apprenticeship Levy >find out more. The cost of the Level 6 Service Designer Apprenticeship is currently £15,000.

The L6 Service Designer Apprenticeship – Management Duties

Duty 1 Question and challenge the design brief in order to lead, influence and guide stakeholders to determine the scope of the service design work, both strategically and operationally.

Duty 2 Define and conduct research activities including primary/secondary research using both qualitative and quantitative data to fully understand users and their needs as well as the context of a service.

Duty 3 Synthesise research to build themes and clusters, find insights, and discover opportunity areas for improving the experience of the user.

Duty 4 Analyse, interpret and communicate complex information or data sets from the research to build a case and direction for change.

Duty 5 Develop multiple potential solutions to the design brief using ideation tools and techniques

Duty 6 Prototype, test with users and analyse potential solutions, making continuous improvements to designs and selecting ideas that best deliver the desired impact on a user’s experience of a service and the environmental and economic needs of the organisation.

Duty 7 Direct the transition from prototype into pilot projects through working with the service areas who will take this forward and lead on-going evaluation, including creating clear success metrics for the improved service.

Duty 8 Lead the design of services through engaging with and influencing stakeholders, colleagues, and service users.

Duty 9 Develop others with the skills needed to contribute to the work through coaching, mentoring, shadowing, working collaboratively or delivering training.

Duty 10 Manage time frames and guide budget decisions, working within organisational project management processes, and manage risks in order to meet business needs.

Duty 11 Manage and lead ongoing change and identify individuals and groups who are able to make a case for a service design approach for future change requirements.

See below for the underpinning Knowledge, Skills and Behaviours (KSBs).

Programme structure, themes and learning modules

Groups: Workshops (x 8 full day – in person or virtual) and Project action and accountability tutorials following each workshop (in person or virtual) and regular 1-2-1 coaching sessions (virtual).

There will also be additional virtual tuition sessions and two masterclasses: EDI and Social Value.

Independent study & self directed learning – two core texts: This is Service Design Doing and This is Service Design Methods (Stickdorn, Lawrence, Hormess & Schneider), Management Duty workbooks, CMI Thrive and ILM Knowledge banks and resources,  writing reflective journals, attending leadership and management events.

The learner will also undertake a six month management project whilst on programme. Outputs include:

1. End to end service analysis
2. Service improvement proposal
3. Service (re) design project business case
4. Lead and implement project (project plan, governance and management)

The programme consists of 4 learning modules which run for circa 12 weeks each for 15 months, followed by up to 3 months preparation and completion of End Point Assessment.

>Download Level 6 Service Designer overview pack (pdf)

A typical programme will include the following themes:

Module 1: Introduction to Service Design, Leadership and Organisational Design

• Service design
• Systems thinking & service context
• User research & insights and problem definition
• Service analysis
• Stakeholder engagement
• Social value
• EDI & justice

Module 2: (Re)Designing and Improving Services

• Designing & improving services
• Introduction to ideation & creative thinking
• Developing, selecting & refining solutions
• Prototyping, testing & evaluation
• Facilitation, co-design
• AI, emerging tech and future service environments

Module 3: Delivering Service Change, Transformation and Organisational Impact Part 1

• Project mgt, governance and delivery
• Creating a service improvement business case
• Implementation, agile delivery & change mgt
• Transform & leading change

Module 4: Delivering Service Change, Transformation and Organisational Impact Part 2

• Operational adoption & continuous improvement
• Tools & techniques
• Evaluation, impact & social value
• Measuring performance
• Service leadership and coaching

Gateway and End Point Assessment (Month 16-18)

How can the programme link to qualifications?

Successful completion of the programme leads to the award of the Level 6 Service Designer Apprenticeship Standard.

It is also possible for learners to gain an ILM Level 7 Certificate in Strategic Leadership & Management (one learning unit which is completed post EPA) with some additional work. If you are interested in this additional qualification we will discuss this with you during onboarding.

ILM L7 Unit 701 Developing a High-Level Business Case

The ILM Level 7 qualification (unit 701) is delivered through Enquiry-based Learning (EBL). This is an approach to learning based on the investigation of questions, scenarios or problems.

The learner is required to complete an enquiry-based project. This process will involve the learner:

• creating questions (an enquiry) of their own. This will be derived from a real strategic level issue / problem or opportunity within your organisation.
• identifying supporting evidence to answer your enquiry. Learners will gather this in their portfolio.
• explaining the evidence to stakeholders, the executive coach and the assessor.
• connecting this explanation to the knowledge you have obtained from investigations.
• creating an argument and justification for the explanation, by way of an Executive Summary

This approach will help the learner to develop a number of skills including self-reliance, independence and the ability to identify, investigate and solve problems and achieve results.

This unit involves developing a high-level business case for improvement that is aligned with the organisation’s strategic objectives and other planned improvements, including

• understanding the strategic context for change in order to identify a high-level business case
• being able to generate and evaluate viable options and apply decision-making techniques.

Building a business case

This theme will enable you to understand the process of compiling and presenting a business case. It will demonstrate a range of techniques that can support the process, including making the case, evaluating a range of options and selecting the most appropriate one. Although by no means an exhaustive coverage of the subject, it provides a solid background for senior managers seeking to put together a business case and getting it passed and implemented.

Following completion of the L6 Service Designer apprenticeship, learners will have completed a strategic business proposal and business case. Post EPA, we will provide the learner with additional 121 executive coaching sessions and they will create an executive summary report of the service improvement(s) achieved and the wider impact on the organisation and the communities they serve.

How is the programme assessed?

End Point Assessment (EPA)

• Project report and presentation and Q&A (apprentices undertake a service design/improvement project circa month 9 to month 15).
• The apprentice must also compile a portfolio of evidence during the on-programme period of the apprenticeship. It should only contain evidence related to the KSBs that will be assessed by the professional discussion. Around 18 pieces of evidence are required.

The report must include at least:

• an executive summary (or abstract)
• an introduction
• the scope of the project (including key performance indicators, aims and objectives)
• a project plan
• research outcomes
• data analysis outcomes
• project outcomes
• discussion of findings
• recommendations and conclusions
• references
• appendix containing mapping of KSBs to the report.

The apprentice will complete their project and submit it to the EPAO after a maximum of 12 weeks from the gateway. The written project report and the presentation will be submitted to the EPAO together, 2 weeks prior to the presentation taking place. The project report must have a word count of 4000 words

Examples of the types of projects an apprentice could submit:

Innovating how a reception area of a local council building can be improved to ensure it is inclusive to those who have additional needs such as reduced mobility or cognitive impairments.

Designing the checking-in process at an airport to meet user, worker and organisational needs taking into account the needs of different passengers and check in staff but also organisational needs for efficiency and security.

Transforming the interaction between a bank and its customers to ensure all customers regardless of their digital literacy can confidently access its services when they can no longer visit a branch.

Creating a new service to widen participation in elections by allowing people to register to vote via their mobile phones.

EPA takes place mths 16-18, following the end of the learning period in month 15.

Off the Job hours

Learners will also complete a monthly learning journal or work diary, which will be a record of how they are applying the learning in practice. The entries are linked to the knowledge, skills and behaviours that will be used to build the learners portfolio and for End Point Assessment.

Apprentices are required to complete 418 off the job hours whilst they are undertaking this apprenticeship programme.

Practically this will consist of the learner attending workshops, tutorials, coaching sessions, writing up their reflective journal, undertaking an on programme project, carrying out procedures and processes in the new ways to achieve better results, as well as the additional time they spend learning the theory and applying it in practice.

Level 6 Service Designer: Knowledge, Skills and Behaviours

Knowledge

K1: The theory and history of the discipline of service design, including definitions and principles, the different perspectives, approaches, or schools of thought.
K2: How and when service design practices can be used to design and improve services.
K3: Other business areas and professions involved in the design of services such as research, UX, technology, policy, and delivery.
K4: The use of creative processes involved in design such as user-centred design approaches and design thinking methods.
K5: Approaches to mapping a service and when to use them.
K6: Methodologies for user research and data collection to understand user needs, pain points, opportunities and areas that should be prioritised.
K7: Ideation tools and techniques to developing potential solutions.
K8: Methodologies to evaluate prototypes and ideas.
K9: Continued improvement of a service, using iterative and agile approaches.
K10: Methods and tools for working collaboratively with groups, teams, and individuals.
K11: Project management and agile principles and methods.
K12: Approaches to change management.

K13: Tools and techniques for prioritisation.
K14: Techniques for measuring cost, value, risk, and impact of decisions
K15: Use of current and emerging technologies to inform the design of services.
K16: Principles of design and research ethics for service design.
K17: Equity, justice, diversity, and inclusion and how they impact on outcomes for people and organisations.
K18: Relevant regulatory and legislative requirements such as data protection, GDPR, confidentiality, for the handling and processing of data and its application during a project.
K19: How a service designer can contribute to a service becoming more environmentally sustainable.
K20: How to support the continuous development requirements and training and learning needs of people they work with.
K21: Organisation structures; business modelling; global and horizon scanning perspectives; governance and accountability; technological and policy implications.

Skills

S1: Champion and advocate the benefits of service design and user centred solutions.
S2: Interpret, analyse, and challenge a design brief.
S3: Systematically analyse and apply problem-solving techniques to complex service design challenges.
S4: Use service design methods to design new propositions, products, and services, and improve existing ones.
S5: Co-design, workshop, and facilitation of service design activities with stakeholders and users.
S6: Map the current and future states of a service journey collating information from multiple sources to form a single view of the service.
S7: Select, formulate and apply qualitative and quantitative user research methods and approaches.
S8: Analyse and evaluate findings from qualitative and quantitative research methods to understand and prioritise user needs.
S9: Evaluate arguments, assumptions, abstract concepts, and data to make judgements, and develop questions to achieve a solution to a problem.
S10: Select and use ideation methods to generate multiple solutions to complex problems.
S11: Prioritise potential solutions to select which to take forward to further development.
S12: Prototype concepts and solutions from low to high degrees of fidelity.

S13: Evaluate prototype solutions, selecting the most appropriate methodology.
S14: Select, formulate and apply a range of user testing methods to ensure any service changes create the desired impact.
S15: Apply user-centred design processes to iteratively develop concepts and solutions.
S16: Evaluate solutions in place to continually improve the service for users and stakeholders.
S17: Critically analyse, interpret and evaluate complex information and concepts.
S18: Communicate complex information, concepts and ideas adapting for different audiences.
S19: Influence, negotiate and challenge stakeholders in the delivery and decision-making process.
S20: Considers multiple viewpoints including those of the internal stakeholders, service users and service providers.
S21: Work with multidisciplinary teams.
S22: Work ethically and sustainably, to ensure research and design activities are carried out to the highest practice in ethical standards.
S23: Manage project to timescales and budget requirements.
S24: Identify and apply emerging industry developments to continuously improve service design practice.
S25: Provide support, specialist advice, and guidance.
S26: Identify the training requirements for their teams and stakeholders.

Behaviours

B1: Role models ethical behaviour and practices.
B2: Considers the “big” picture and the detail together.
B3: Works flexibly and adapts to circumstances.
B4: Seeks learning opportunities and continuous professional development.
B5: Takes responsibility, shows initiative, and is organised.
B6: Championing the user and putting them at the centre of the design process

Benefits for the learner

The programme develops practical, real world capability across a range of disciplines including:

• User centred design: learn how to design services around genuine user needs using research, testing and iterative improvement approaches.
• Service mapping & blueprinting: understand how to visualise end-to-end services, identify friction points and redesign operational processes.
• Research & insights: use qualitative and quantitative research methods to uncover pain points, behaviours and opportunities.
• Co-design & facilitation: work collaboratively with users, stakeholders and multidisciplinary teams to create better outcomes.
• Agile & continuous improvement: apply iterative design methods and agile approaches to deliver sustainable service improvements.
• Accessibility & inclusion: Design services that are equitable, inclusive and accessible for all users and deliver wider impacts and social value.
• Change & transformation: support organisational change initiatives through evidence-based service redesign and stakeholder engagement.
• Leadership coaching: the value and step changes that can be achieved from coaching and being coached

Benefits for the employer

• Financial: reduced consultancy spend, improved efficiency and process optimisation.
• Operational: improved service quality, better user/patient/resident experience, faster and more evidence-based redesign work.
• Strategic: supports transformation agendas, builds organisational resilience, develops future-ready capability.
• Cultural: Encourages innovation, improves collaboration, embeds user centred thinking.
• Increased understanding, awareness and emotional intelligence: learners who are stimulated to become better at what they want to do.
• Assurance that your people are properly equipped with the skills, knowledge and understanding they need to achieve the objectives and outcomes the business expects.
• Employees who are motivated to drive continuous improvement and support the delivery of safe, efficient and person centred services.
• Helping to create / further embed a leadership and coaching culture where people demonstrate their commitment to supporting their own and others’ development and performance improvement.