“Keep the Change” account service for Bank of America

Bank of America | “Keep the Change” account service for Bank of America

R&D: What We're Thinking About

  • Digital goldmine. We live in a world in which resource trends will force people to become more conscientious consumers. At the same time, we live in a world that boasts an overabundance of digital resources. What kinds of new services can leverage these digital resources in order to help make the resource-constrained future of the physical world more appealing?

    Fast and loose. Nomadism and the desire for flexibility and low commitment make the idea of transient ownership feasible (think, Zipcar). What other kinds of transient or shared ownership services can we envision?

    Make it mean something. Social networking applications have become the virtual centerpiece for many people. But these applications tend to be an end unto themselves. How can we envision new services that leverage social networking for new purposes?

  • DIY data. Many service companies are looking to give users control over their own personal data (think, Google). How can we design new services that not only leverage that data, but encourage people to allow even more information about themselves to feed into valuable new services?

    Jumping ahead.Technology has shown a recent history of allowing emerging markets to leapfrog advanced markets by fully embracing new technology platforms (think, cellphones vs. landlines). How might other massively available technology platforms be used to create emerging markets with radically new service offerings?

Awards & Accolades

IDSA and BusinessWeek Magazine’s 2007 IDEA Awards
IDSA and BusinessWeek Magazine’s 2007 IDEA Awards

IDSA and BusinessWeek Magazine’s 2003 IDEA Awards
IDSA and BusinessWeek Magazine’s 2003 IDEA Awards

IDSA and BusinessWeek Magazine’s 2002 IDEA Awards
IDSA and BusinessWeek Magazine’s 2002 IDEA Awards

Services

Though consumer choice has never been richer, good service remains rare. When it does occur, it acts as a benchmark. At the same time, technology increasingly allows consumers to bypass an organization’s official lines of marketing and communication and speak to each other, directly and unmediated. This emerging ability can be an asset for those clients who seek to rise above by bringing people into the heart of service design.

With an inherently collaborative, multidisciplinary approach, IDEO creates services that are desirable for consumers and feasible and viable for businesses. We draw on deftness in experimentation to build prototypes and pilots that reduce risk, and strengths in storytelling to make brand expressions more tangible.

Resources, Partners, Favorites

University of Arizona Business School

Carnegie Mellon University

ID/IIT, the Institute of Design at the Illinois Institute of Technology

Köln Institute of Service Design

Service Design Network (SDN)

London Business School

Rachel Hinman in Conversation with Mark Jones, IDEO About Service Design, Adaptive Path

Activating Consumers podcast with Mark Jones, Emergence 2007

Aradhana Goel speaks at CII-NID summit, India, December 2007

Bill Moggridge at CIID Service Design Symposium, March 6-7, 2008

Points of View

“From Small Ideas to Radical Service Innovation”“From Small Ideas to Radical Service Innovation”
Design Management Review

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