Service Design in Czech and Slovakia.

We asked Slavo Tuleya and Adam Brocka to share their thoughts about the evolution of Service Design in his country. A big thank you to Slavo for his insights:

How would you describe the state of service design today? How's the maturity level of service design in Czech and Slovakia? Is the term known, used?

Overall, we would say that Service Design in Czech and Slovakia is still pretty underdeveloped. We started a Service Design Czech and Slovakia group in 2018 while trying to explore the case studies and the required holistic view on this topic.

Today, UX and UI are well-established concepts that also business people understand. Customer experience as part of Service Design is also appreciated. However, following the umbrella concept of Service Design, not yet.

What was the state of service design a few years ago in Czech and Slovakia?

The word Service Design was unknown. People best understand it when we show them that it's an umbrella concept covering digital and analog experiences and puts them into one scope.

On the other hand, Czech and Slovaks managers are usually not too interested in the tools that the team would use. Instead, they are more interested in outcomes, finished work, and profit.

What are the big changes that you see for the future of Service Design Czech and Slovakia?

The future is that Czech and Slovakia will invest more money into the experience of state-owned companies. Therefore, we see some Service Design job opportunities in the national rail companies, hospitals, and other public institutions. 

Should people look for Service Design jobs rather in big agencies, small studios, or in the house? Or maybe in specific industries? Where do you feel there are more opportunities for service designers in Czech and Slovakia?

If they want to do Service Design in Czech and Slovakia, they should look for agencies (few taking up the market share) and companies with established innovation labs. They are the ones who most likely understand Service Design and might hire you.

What are great opportunities to learn Service Design in Czech and Slovakia?

There aren’t too many opportunities to learn Service Design in Czech and Slovakia. In that case, meetups are probably the best way to get to know about Service Design. The good thing about Service Design is that the skill is international; you can look for opportunities to learn online.

If I'm looking for a job opportunity as a service designer, what are the key cities that offer such opportunities in Czech and Slovakia?

The opportunities in Czech and Slovakia are mostly in Prague since it is the most significant region in Czech and Slovakia. Also, in Brno - Czech silicon valley because there are many IT companies there. There may be lots in Kosice too since it is Slovak IT valley and Bratislava because it is the capital and where all major companies are located.

What are the leading companies that use Service Design in Czech and Slovakia?

The concept of Service Design is not yet known in the region. Most companies that are aware of it are telcos (Orange, Vodafone, T-Mobile, and O2) and banks (Komercni Banka, Ceska Sporitelna, Slovenska Sporitelna, Tatra Banka, Air Bank, and Raiffeisen Bank.

What are the local Service Design communities in Czech and Slovakia?

We have few Service Design communities in Czech and Slovakia such as the Service Design CZSK Facebook group, Slovak UX association, and UX Association.