Service Design in Sweden, an interview with Christina Lindeberg

We asked Christina Lindeberg, a service designer working in Sweden, about her thoughts about the evolution of Service Design in her country. A big thank you to Christina for her insights.

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

In my opinion, User Experience (UX) is a much more dominant term. And in some cases, this work touches on service design, whilst in others, it is more touchpoint specific.

I think Service Design in Sweden, like in many other countries, seems more prominent within the public sector and in-house design teams rather than within consultancies.

What was the state of service design a few years ago in Sweden?

I think Service Design was limited to a successful hub in Stockholm, however, it's now started to get traction across the country.

What are the big changes that you see for the future of Service Design in Sweden?

I think organizations in Sweden are becoming more mature in their use of design and will be looking to build up this competency in-house and/or look to consultancies for inspiration.

We see the same trend here as in other countries with the buyout of small agencies by large engineering or management consultancies. I think this will eventually result in a new breed of smaller agencies developing with a different offering.

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 Sweden?

The number of service design roles within design teams in Sweden is growing. So I think, in-house within either public or private is where to look for these opportunities.

As a design consultant in Sweden, you often sit within these teams at a client for 6-36 months on projects. So it's more a question of how often you want to change the company you are developing value for.

What are great opportunities to learn Service Design in Sweden?

Some of the universities offering Service Design-related courses in Sweden include Malmö University, HDK, Linköping, and Chalmers University of Technology.

In addition, you have the unique offerings of Hyper Island.

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

You are able to find service design opportunities in Sweden’s major cities of Stockholm, Gothenburg, and Malmö but also in other areas, such as Värmland.

What are the leading companies that use Service Design in Sweden?

Service Design is used in various industries in Sweden.
Organizations who have recently been actively recruiting for in-house service designers include local authorities, Spotify, Swedbank, Arbetsförmedlingen, Skånetrafiken, and Verisure

Some known consulting agencies that practice Service Design are Idean, InUse, UsTwo, Jayway, HiQ, Tactel, Doberman, McKinsey, and Fjord.

What are the local Service Design communities in Sweden?

Those specifically for Service Design include Service Design Network Sweden and the Swedish channel on the SDN Slack. Some related to service design include Malmö Design Network, IXD Meetups, and Design Leadership