Service Safari
The Service Safari is a research method where designers immerse themselves in a service experience as a user to gain firsthand understanding and identify pain points. By experiencing the service directly, designers can uncover insights that might be missed through traditional research methods.
Use this method when you need to deeply understand the user experience of a service, identify areas for improvement, or compare your service to competitors.
Solves: Lack of empathy for the user experience; assumptions about how a service is perceived; siloed understanding of different service touchpoints.
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Step 1: Define the scope of the service safari and the specific user journey to be explored. (15 min)
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Step 2: Develop a research plan with clear objectives and a protocol for observation, including specific questions to answer and areas to focus on. (30 min)
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Step 3: Conduct the service safari, with each team member acting as a user and documenting their experiences, observations, and interactions. (60-120 min)
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Step 4: Debrief as a team, sharing individual experiences and consolidating findings into a comprehensive journey map. (30-60 min)
- Encourage participants to fully immerse themselves in the experience and act as a typical user.
- Remind participants to document both positive and negative aspects of the service.
- Conduct a service safari of a competitor's service to identify best practices and areas for differentiation.
- Involve stakeholders from different departments in the service safari to foster a shared understanding of the user experience.