Career Professional Development for Service Designers

Sequential Learning Approach

ISDI’s Service Design Survey (Spring 2020)

By June 12, 2020, ISDI collected 150 responses for our second online service design survey. The Spring 2020 survey followed ISDI’s inaugural 2019 survey.

In this survey, each question had a 75% probability of being answered as if the questions were posed to a population of 1,000 (within a margin of error between 6.3 and 7.3.)

The above confidence level is based on our gathering methodology, which was non-bias, random-response, for which no screening was used.

Respondents accessed the survey by a link posted weekly on LinkedIn and Facebook, requesting service designers to respond.

The survey ran online for about five weeks April-May 2020, during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Smiling asian woman working on the desk with books and laptop computer.
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Survey Findings

Demographics

More senior service designers were represented in our data set

▶ Due to the larger participation of senior service designers, we tabulated some of the question-responses to see if our data offered any career insights.

 

▶ In the meantime, the fairly representative sample of levels, helps to show respondents’ answers from multiple perspectives—those entering the field, those in mid-level positions, along with at the top.

Fewer service designers over age 50 were represented

▶ Our results would seem reflective of the notion that service design is an emerging field, with 76% of respondents younger than age 40.
▶ Male-to-female ratio about equal.
▶ Women skew slightly older, overall.
▶ More older men than women were represented.

Service Designers are employed worldwide

▶ Service designers span the globe.
▶ Our sample included designers from North America, Europe, MEA, and Asia

Growing numbers of service designers worldwide

▶ Numbers are increasing in Italy, the U.S., UK, Spain, Portugal, India,
▶ Conceivably, other countries showing fewer service designers this year could indicate lower participation by those representative service designers this year.
▶ Also, despite our interactions, the voice of service designers not represented include Mexico, Nigeria, Singapore and Japan.

Salaries

▶ Service designer salaries are 28% above the national average.

National Average
Service Designer Salaries

The field offers enormous opportunities for advancement

▶ Those between 30 to 39 are in a sweet spot for service designer earnings, based on our sample.
▶ Overall, the results could reflect the emerging growth of the field, along with opportunities for career growth for those entering the field.
▶ As those in their 20s move up, they should find plenty of opportunities for salary growth.
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Tab – Gender/Salary

▶ The results are mixed on gender salaries.
▶ Women are well represented across the board, except, or until the highest salaries.
▶ Entry salaries are evenly divided between gender.
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Salaries for service designers follow typical sector patterns

▶ Consumer-based organizations pay the most.
▶ Those who work across multiple sectors and industries report the next highest compensation.
▶ Civic-public service pays more for service designers than healthcare.

Top three salary brackets represented in no more than a ~dozen countries