Service Design for Accessibility
taught by:
Greg Solis
co-presented by:
Elisa Miller
Session Summary
Today, there are more people involved with the design and delivery of services than of tangible products. While we hear a lot about product design, more companies are beginning to understand the value of designing their services as well. These service ‘eco-systems’ consider ‘how’ people interact with business, technology and each other. In this session, Greg and Elisa with explain the fundamentals of Service Design and show how the processes and tools can be used to make services more accessible to everyone.
Description
Accessibility challenges often stem from gaps in service, not just product limitations. A Service Design practice helps companies uncover and solve the systemic barriers. During this session, Greg and Elisa will define Service Design and introduce the basic principals. They will also share some of the key tools and methods, including: Journey mapping, Stakeholder mapping, Ecosystem mapping and Service Blueprinting.
They will also discuss the advantages of a Service Design practice and how it improves accessibility, how to embed accessibility in end-to-end service delivery, and how to overcome organizational resistance.
Practical Skills
- Accessibility is a Service, Not Just a Feature - True accessibility goes beyond compliance and individual products—it requires designing inclusive services that work across digital, physical, and human interactions.
- Service Blueprinting Uncovers Hidden Barriers - By mapping frontstage and backstage processes, service blueprinting helps organizations identify and fix accessibility gaps that are often overlooked.
- Embedding accessibility into service design from the start not only benefits disabled users but improves usability, efficiency, and overall customer satisfaction for all.