Service Thinking

Live|Work has published a manifesto on service thinking:

“We have identified three key service imperatives that must be considered if we are to create great services that make things better for people, businesses and society.

The first imperative is to put people at the heart of services. If we try to produce a service without the participation of the customer it cannot either satisfy that customer or achieve its potential. We must find ways to re-engage people in the services they use.

The second imperative is to create networks that enable services. Services have always been networks; a rail network, a telephone network, even a church service is a part of a social network. We currently have such powerful information technologies that service networks are now possible in all sectors.

The third imperative is to install sustainability as the bottom line. In this case we are talking about a triple bottom line of economic, social and environmental sustainability. We expect services to be there for us at all times – whether a phone connection or a doctors’ surgery – and we feel lost when they are not. Ultimately, Service Thinking is the ongoing consideration of how we meet our collective needs without overstretching our human and natural resources.”

In regards to the Arlanda Avairy project we were talking about, it fulfills alot of these cateogories.

It puts the user first, in looking at their own behaviour and technology they already use and are familiar with.

It taps into an existing online social network, twitter, that has an open api which allows the user to develop their own tools to follow data and information.

It is sustainable, at least in the sense that is uses existing media that has the ability to develop with technology. However, perhaps it could be more sustainable in regards to a back-up system - i.e. what if twitter goes down.. what if the flight database has errors.. etc. etc.