Service design AI prompts — understanding the context
This guide will provide directions for how to use ChatGPT to gain better insights, increased effectiveness and ensure higher impact in your Service Design projects. Each phase, sub-stage and its steps will be covered consecutively.
The focus for this article/guide is ‘Understanding the Context’ in the Discover Phase of the project.
You can find the PDF version of this article on LinkedIn here.
Disclaimer: Some of this content has been generated using ChatGPT.
How to start your AI session
It is important to prime ChatGPT before you start utilising it in order to get the most optimal responses.
Copy/paste the example prompt below and fill in the relevant information between the <brackets>: (see a complete example of this at the very end)
As an expert service designer focusing on the <Industry> industry, we’re navigating the <Service Design Phase> phase of our project, addressing the following: <Problem>.
Our current understanding includes: <Insert Relevant Information> (add more as you progress)
The goal is to achieve <Goal/Objective>, within these constraints: <Insert Constraints>, and considering these stakeholders: <Insert Stakeholders>.
Let’s brainstorm and explore the following: <Insert Prompt(s)> (see the next sections for prompt examples)
Please provide exact and specific answers and suggestions.
Useful Follow-Up <Prompts> (to be used anytime)
Alternative Solutions
“Are there any alternative solutions or approaches we should consider?”Assumptions Mapping
“What assumptions are we making here, and how can we validate them?”Risk Assessment
“What could be the potential risks or downsides to this approach, and how might we mitigate them?”
Understanding the Context
“Understanding the Context” in the Discover phase involves scrutinising the problem area, business objectives, and market trends, providing context-specific insights to guide the creation of effective service solutions.
<Prompts> for: Identifying the Problem
The process of pinpointing the key challenges that the service design effort seeks to address within its specific context.
Remember to input your problem into the <Problem> or <Insert Relevant Information> part of the prompt.
Problem Decomposition
“Can we break this problem down into its most granular components?”Assumptions Gathering & Testing
“Which assumptions are we missing or overlooking concerning the problem, and how can we challenge them?”Reframing
“How can we re-frame the problem to uncover hidden aspects that we may have initially overlooked?”Diverse Perspectives
“What are some unique perspectives we could adopt to approach this problem differently?”Ripple Effect Analysis
“What might be the ripple effects of this problem in other parts of the system?”Multicultural Examination
“Which different cultural contexts are important to understand for this problem?”Reverse Brainstorming
“What could we do to exacerbate the problem?”
<Prompts> for: Identifying the Business Objectives
The process of identifying the company’s goals for a particular project, ensuring we know exactly what the project aims to achieve and how success will be measured.
Remember to input your business objectives into the <Insert Relevant Information> part of the prompt.
Alignment Check
“How does each business objective align or conflict with our overall company mission?”New Angles
“What unique angles can we look at the business objectives from to gain new insights?”Alternative Interpretations
“What alternative interpretations of the business objectives could lead to unique strategies?”Root Cause Analysis
“What are the underlying reasons for these specific business objectives?”Analogy
“Can we draw parallels between these business objectives and those in completely different industries to encourage innovative thinking?”Flexibility
“How can we incorporate flexibility in our design to adapt to potential changes in business objectives?”Counterfactual Thinking
“What would our strategy be like if these business objectives didn’t exist?”Red Teaming
“What would a ‘devil’s advocate’ say about these business objectives?”Reverse Brainstorming
“What strategies would make it impossible to achieve our business objectives?”
<Prompts> for: Market & Trend Analysis
The study of the wider industry landscape, includes understanding what competitors are offering, identifying customers’ needs and preferences, and keeping up-to-date with the latest trends to ensure our service design is relevant and competitive.
Remember to input your market & trend analysis into the <Insert Relevant Information> part of the prompt.
Empathy Mapping
“How could these market trends impact the emotional state of our users?”Reframing
“How could we reframe our interpretation of market trends to foster novel insights?”User Implications
“What are the implications of these trends on the users and how might that affect our design approach?”Trend Incorporation
“What role might emerging market trends play in shaping the business objectives and how can we incorporate them in our design process?”Scenario Planning
“Can we map out scenarios based on these market trends and our possible responses?”Perspective Shift
“How can we view the market trends from a non-industry perspective to stimulate creative thinking?”White Space Analysis
“Are there any ‘white spaces’ in the market that these trends are revealing?”Divergent Thinking
“How might these trends be analyzed from a completely unrelated industry’s perspective?”
The Example: Solar Energy Use & Storage for Homeowners
Below is an example of how to use the prompts in the previous sections.
Starting Point
As an expert service designer focusing on the <Industry> industry, we’re navigating the <Service Design Phase> phase of our project, addressing the following: <Problem/Method>.
Our current understanding includes: <Insert Relevant Information>.
The goal is to achieve <Goal/Objective>, within these constraints: <Insert Constraints>, and considering these stakeholders: <Insert Stakeholders>.
Let’s brainstorm and explore the following: <Insert Prompt(s)>.
Please provide exact and specific answers and suggestions.
Filled in Example
As an expert service designer focusing on the Sustainability and Tech industries, we’re navigating the Discover phase of our project, addressing the following: Creating a solution for homeowners in the Netherlands with solar panels to optimally use or store their excess electricity, as supplying back to the grid for later free use will no longer be possible.
Our current understanding includes: Current legislation changes will impact the way solar panel owners manage their energy, presenting a need for alternative solutions. Possibilities might include utilizing car batteries for energy storage, employing a system to store heat underground via a heat pump or other solutions.
The goal is to develop a software solution that optimizes energy use and storage, offering advice to homeowners on how to best manage their solar energy, within these constraints: Technical feasibility of integrating with various home systems, homeowners’ willingness to adapt to new technology, and compliance with energy regulations.
Considering these stakeholders: Homeowners with current solar panels or potential buyers of solar panels, energy regulatory bodies, potential software development partners, and suppliers of energy storage solutions such as battery manufacturers, heat pump providers or other suppliers.
Let’s brainstorm and explore the following:
- “Can we break this problem down into its most granular components?“
- “Which assumptions are we missing or overlooking concerning the problem, and how can we challenge them?”
- “How can we re-frame the problem to uncover hidden aspects that we may have initially overlooked?”
Please provide exact and specific answers and suggestions.
Answer from ChatGPT-4
Breaking down the problem:
Energy Generation: The energy generated from solar panels, which can vary based on factors like weather, the time of year, and the quality and age of the panels.
Energy Consumption: The patterns of energy usage by the homeowners, which includes daily routine, usage of home appliances, and seasonality.
Energy Storage: The storage capacity of current systems and their ability to store excess energy, and what improvements or alternatives might be feasible.
Integration with Home Systems: The technical capability of the proposed solution to interact with different home systems, like heating, cooling, electrical systems, and potentially electric vehicles.
Regulatory Compliance: The proposed solution needs to comply with local and national energy regulations and potential changes in these regulations.
User Adaptation: The willingness and ability of homeowners to adopt new technology, learn how to use it, and change their consumption patterns based on the advice given by the software.
Challenging Assumptions:
Homeowner Willingness: We’re assuming that homeowners are willing to adapt to new technology. To challenge this, we can conduct surveys or focus groups to understand their openness and any potential resistance towards new technologies.
Integration with Existing Systems: We assume it’s technically feasible to integrate the proposed software solution with various home systems. This can be challenged by getting input from technical experts or potential software development partners.
Regulatory Compliance: Are we assuming that the regulations will remain static, or have we accounted for potential future changes? We need to monitor and understand the evolving regulatory landscape to challenge this assumption.
Re-framing the problem:
Instead of focusing only on how homeowners can store or use excess energy, we might consider how to make homeowners more energy efficient overall. How can the proposed solution help homeowners reduce their energy consumption?
Rather than focusing solely on individual homeowners, consider the potential for community-based solutions. Could we develop a system that allows a community of homeowners to share and distribute their excess energy?
Instead of only thinking about storage, how can we optimize energy generation? Could we devise ways to help homeowners maximize their solar energy production?
By breaking down the problem, challenging our assumptions, and re-framing the problem, we can create a more holistic and adaptable solution. We can also engage stakeholders more effectively by addressing their concerns and potential barriers to adoption.
What to do next?
- Validate the Information: Validate the information by cross-checking with the most recent, authoritative, and reliable sources, especially when the topic involves rapidly changing fields such as technology or legislation.
- Engage with Stakeholders: Share the insights and information gathered with the relevant stakeholders, as a springboard for further discussion, brainstorming, and decision-making.
- Implementation in Design Process & AI Prompts: Use the knowledge and insights to inform your service design process and future AI prompts.
About me
I am passionate about Service Design, connecting the dots and making sense. I really hope this article can help Service Designers, UX’ers and others in their daily work.
I love feedback, so feel free to message me if you find this helpful or if you have any comments for improvement.
You can find me on LinkedIn here and the PDF version of this article here.
