Service Design Show

Everyone wants change, just not for themselves…I remember a great experiment we used to do back in my agency days.At the start of a workshop, we'd ask everyone to put on a prop. It could be a hat, a pair of oversized glasses, or even a superhero cape. After some initial laughter, everyone usually played along.But the interesting part wasn't putting the props on. It was what happened in the minutes that followed.As we started the "official" program, the first person would quietly take their prop off. Then a second would follow, and so on. At no point had I instructed them to stop wearing the props, yet, one by one, they always did.It was a powerful way to confront the group with the strong pull towards conformity. Towards the default mode of doing things. Towards getting back in line.As service design professionals, we know that to create meaningful change, we have to challenge the way things are currently done. But doing anything outside the status quo is inherently risky, especially when the incentive struct