Wireframing
Wireframing is the capability of creating simple sketches or diagrams illustrating a website or product's interface layout. It requires a thorough understanding of customer needs, navigation paths and interaction points. This capability contributes to more effective, user-centered design and improved overall user experience. The proficiency in wireframing fosters clear communication, promotes productive feedback and accelerates the design process.
Level 1: Emerging
At a foundational level you are able to create basic wireframes to show simple layouts for websites or digital products. You use common tools to map key screens, focusing on main navigation and obvious user journeys. Your wireframes help others see initial ideas clearly and encourage early, useful feedback.
Level 2: Proficient
At a developing level you are able to create basic wireframes to visualize key layouts and user flows for web or digital products. You follow guidance from others, using wireframes to share ideas and test simple concepts with your team. Your work helps shape early design discussions and supports clearer communication with stakeholders.
Level 3: Advanced
At a proficient level you are able to quickly create clear, well-organized wireframes that show how users move through a service or system. You use customer insights and collaboration with others to design layouts that make navigation easy and support user needs. Your wireframes help teams test ideas early and improve the user experience.
Problem Framing
Problem Framing is the ability to identify and define design challenges within user experience (UX). This involves the crucial analysis of user needs and business goals, setting the scope for service design projects. Effective Problem Framing allows for informed decision-making, steering UX strategy towards enhanced customer satisfaction.
Level 1: Emerging
At a foundational level you are able to recognize when a user experience or service design problem needs further definition. You seek direction from others to understand user needs and business goals, contributing to clearer project objectives. By doing this, you help your team focus efforts on the right challenges from the outset.
Level 2: Proficient
At a developing level you are able to recognize broad user problems and start to outline the factors shaping those challenges. You seek input from colleagues to clarify needs and define project boundaries, sometimes needing guidance. Your work helps the team focus on what matters most to both users and the business.
Level 3: Advanced
At a proficient level you are able to clearly define and structure complex design challenges by balancing user needs with business goals. You use evidence and insight to scope problems effectively, ensuring projects start with shared understanding. This enables teams to focus their efforts and deliver solutions that improve both customer experience and organizational outcomes.
Visual Design Principles
Visual Design Principles is a pivotal competence in Service Design & UX, aimed at creating visually appealing and effective designs. It necessitates a deep understanding of aesthetics, layout, color theory, typography, and user psychology. This capability serves to enhance user engagement, ensure accessibility, and deliver impressive and intuitive user interfaces for digital products.
Level 1: Emerging
At a foundational level you are aware of basic visual design principles and can recognize how elements like layout, color, and typography influence user experiences in digital services. You apply simple design choices to support clarity and consistency, guided by existing patterns and feedback. Your contributions help create clear and accessible interfaces within Service Design and UX projects.
Level 2: Proficient
At a developing level you are applying basic visual design principles, such as balance, contrast, and hierarchy, to your Service Design and UX work with guidance from others. You are beginning to consider color, typography, and layout to support usability and brand consistency. Your designs start to improve user engagement but may lack polish or confidence.
Level 3: Advanced
At a proficient level you are able to apply core visual design principles confidently to improve the clarity, accessibility, and appeal of user interfaces in service design projects. You make informed design choices that balance aesthetics with usability, directly supporting user needs and organizational goals. Your work consistently results in interfaces that users find engaging and easy to navigate.
User Research Planning
User Research Planning is the strategic groundwork needed for understanding users and their requirements. This involves determining the research's scope, determining routine methods, structuring timelines, and outlining potential outcomes for a Service Design/UX project. Effective planning ensures impactful, user-centric results and influences design choices, optimizing user experience.
Level 1: Emerging
At a foundational level you are able to support basic user research planning by following set instructions and using provided templates. You help organize simple research activities and contribute to shaping timelines or checklists under close guidance. Your contribution ensures the team begins understanding user needs in a structured, consistent way.
Level 2: Proficient
At a developing level you are able to contribute to planning user research by following established methods and supporting the creation of timelines, project scopes, and expected outcomes. You work with guidance from others, helping to ensure research activities are clear and practical for Service Design or UX projects. Your input supports the team to deliver more focused and meaningful user insights.
Level 3: Advanced
At a proficient level you are able to independently plan user research for Service Design or UX projects, selecting suitable methods and defining clear objectives for the team. You create detailed schedules and align research activities with project goals, making sure user needs shape design decisions. Your planning consistently leads to valuable insights and better user experiences.
Usability Testing
Usability Testing is the evaluation of a product or service by testing it with representative users. In the context of Service Design and UX, it's about observing users as they attempt to complete tasks, identifying any issues and improving the overall user experience. The success of this capability impacts the product's accessibility, effectiveness and satisfaction levels.
Level 1: Emerging
At a foundational level you are able to assist with usability testing by observing users as they try to complete tasks and recording what you see. You follow clear instructions from others, helping to set up sessions or note simple issues. Your contributions help the team spot obvious obstacles in the user experience.
Level 2: Proficient
At a developing level you are able to assist with usability testing by helping to prepare scenarios, support sessions, and record observations as users interact with products or services. You focus on understanding user challenges and share findings with your team. Your contributions help to identify areas for improvement and support a better user experience.
Level 3: Advanced
At a proficient level you are able to independently plan and run usability tests with real users, using established methods to identify common pain points and areas for improvement. You analyze and clearly present findings to your team, making practical recommendations that guide design decisions. Your work helps create services that are more accessible, effective, and satisfying for users.
Service Blueprinting
Service Blueprinting is the proficient mapping and visualisation of a service system. This methodology assesses touchpoints through the customer journey, providing an exhaustive analytical approach. Through this capability, designers can illuminate areas needing improvement leading to overall service enhancements.
Level 1: Emerging
At a foundational level you are able to recognize what service blueprinting is and understand its basic purpose in mapping customer journeys and service interactions. You can identify key parts of a service blueprint and contribute to simple mapping activities under guidance from others. Your involvement supports team discussions about how services could be improved.
Level 2: Proficient
At a developing level you are able to contribute to the creation of service blueprints with support from others. You help to map basic customer journeys and identify key touchpoints, learning how to spot simple gaps or pain points. Your work supports the team’s understanding of service processes, enabling small improvements in user experience.
Level 3: Advanced
At a proficient level you are able to independently map and visualize complex service systems, creating detailed service blueprints that capture both customer and staff interactions. You gather and organize data from various sources, ensuring each touchpoint is clear and actionable. Your blueprints enable teams to clearly identify and address areas for service improvement.
Quantitative User Research
Quantitative User Research is the methodical gathering and analysis of data about users' behaviors, needs or attitudes. This invaluable capability within UX and Service Design leans on statistical techniques and structured enquiry to provide measurable insights. Its impact is primarily seen in fostering evidence-based design decisions and highlighting areas for improvement.
Level 1: Emerging
At a foundational level you are able to assist with basic quantitative user research tasks, such as conducting surveys or collecting usage data, under guidance from more experienced team members. You use simple tools to help gather straightforward, structured information about users. This helps your team start to base design decisions on real evidence rather than assumptions.
Level 2: Proficient
At a developing level you are able to support quantitative user research by following established methods and tools to collect and organize user data. You help analyze straightforward findings that contribute to ongoing Service Design or UX projects. Your work helps your team make more informed and objective design decisions.
Level 3: Advanced
At a proficient level you are able to plan and run quantitative user research, selecting suitable methods to gather meaningful data on user behavior and needs. You confidently analyze results and present clear findings that guide evidence-based design choices in your team or project. Your work helps shape better experiences by identifying design strengths and areas for improvement.
Qualitative User Research
Qualitative User Research is the capability of gathering insightful, non-numerical data about a user's experiences, behaviors, and perspectives. It involves conducting in-depth interviews, focus groups, or ethnographies to understand users' needs and motivations in a service design context. This capability drives effective, user-centered design solutions, underpinning a powerful UX design strategy and fostering meaningful user engagement.
Level 1: Emerging
At a foundational level you are able to assist more experienced researchers by helping to prepare materials, take notes, or observe interviews and workshops. You understand the basics of gathering user insights and can recognize the value these bring to service and experience design. Your contribution supports the delivery of user-focused solutions.
Level 2: Proficient
At a developing level you are able to assist in planning and carrying out qualitative user research activities, such as interviews or observations, with guidance. You contribute to gathering and organizing user insights in a service design or UX project. Your work begins to inform design decisions, helping your team better understand user needs.
Level 3: Advanced
At a proficient level you are able to plan and conduct a range of qualitative user research methods, such as interviews or field studies, to uncover deep user needs in complex service environments. You confidently analyze and share your findings with your design team to inform decisions. Your work leads to practical improvements in both user experience and service outcomes.
Prototyping
Prototyping is the capability to create rudimentary models of services or systems. It enables the visualisation of pure concepts, offering tangible interfaces for interactive feedback. By eliminating misunderstandings earlier, prototyping enables more effective and user-focused design. It's a vital part of the iterative design process, underscoring user experience optimization.
Level 1: Emerging
At a foundational level you are able to use simple tools to create basic prototypes of services or interfaces. You can translate ideas into clear, tangible examples that help you and your team better understand user needs. By sharing these early models, you support clearer communication and more informed design choices.
Level 2: Proficient
At a developing level you are able to create basic prototypes using common tools to turn ideas into simple, testable models. You begin to use these prototypes to gather feedback from users and colleagues, helping to uncover issues early in the process. This supports clearer conversations and sets the groundwork for better service experiences.
Level 3: Advanced
At a proficient level you are confident creating and testing interactive prototypes for digital and service experiences. You use prototyping to explore options, validate ideas with users, and gather feedback to inform design decisions. Your work helps teams spot problems early, leading to services and systems that are more effective and user-friendly.
Accessibility Design
Accessibility Design is the expertise in creating user experiences that are universally accessible. It involves understanding diverse user needs, including those with disabilities, and designing services that accommodate them. This capability enhances inclusivity and usability, improving overall user satisfaction.
Level 1: Emerging
At a foundational level you are aware that accessibility is essential in Service Design and UX. You recognize basic accessibility needs—such as readable text, clear navigation and alternative text for images—and apply simple solutions under guidance. Your work helps ensure digital experiences are usable by more people from the start.
Level 2: Proficient
At a developing level you are starting to apply accessibility principles to your Service Design or UX work, often with guidance from others. You recognize the importance of making digital services usable for people with diverse needs, and make basic adjustments when designing solutions. Your contributions help services become more inclusive and set a foundation for further improvement.
Level 3: Advanced
At a proficient level you are able to design digital services that meet established accessibility standards and address a range of user needs, including people with disabilities. You proactively identify and remove common barriers, ensuring your solutions work for everyone. Your work leads to more inclusive and satisfying user experiences for all.
Persona Development
Persona Development is the process of crafting archetype users to represent key customer groups in service design. This capability involves gathering data, identifying patterns and modeling behaviors to characterize these users realistically. The resulting personas are vital in guiding design decisions, facilitating stakeholder understanding, and ultimately shaping a user-focused and empathetic service.
Level 1: Emerging
At a foundational level you are able to recognize the purpose of personas and support the creation of simple user profiles using basic information or guidance from others. You contribute to team discussions by sharing what you know about different user types. Your involvement helps ensure user needs are considered in early stages of service design.
Level 2: Proficient
At a developing level you are beginning to assist with creating user personas by gathering and organizing relevant information under the guidance of others. You contribute to recognizing simple patterns in user behavior and help document key characteristics. Your effort supports your team in gaining a basic understanding of customer needs to inform early service design decisions.
Level 3: Advanced
At a proficient level you are able to independently create realistic personas based on both qualitative and quantitative research, ensuring they accurately reflect distinct user needs and behaviors in your service design work. You use these personas to inform project decisions, helping teams and stakeholders focus on solutions that genuinely meet user expectations. Your work leads to better alignment and more empathetic design outcomes across projects.
Journey Mapping
Journey Mapping is the capability of translating a user's interaction with a service into a visual representation. In the context of Service Design/UX, it allows design teams to empathise with users, understanding their needs, motivations and pain points at each touchpoint. This capability plays a crucial role in highlighting opportunities for improvement and innovation within the service.
Level 1: Emerging
At a foundational level you are able to contribute to simple journey mapping activities under direction, helping to capture user actions, feelings and needs at different steps in a service experience. You understand the purpose of journey maps in Service Design or UX and record reliable observations. Your work supports the team to build empathy and spot possible service improvements.
Level 2: Proficient
At a developing level you are able to contribute to journey mapping by gathering user insights and assisting in mapping simple user journeys under guidance. You focus on highlighting key moments and pain points, helping your team better understand the user experience. Your work begins to inform basic improvements to existing services.
Level 3: Advanced
At a proficient level you are able to independently create detailed journey maps that clearly show a user’s experience across all key touchpoints. You use these maps to highlight pain points and identify opportunities for improvement, helping your team better understand the user’s perspective and drive meaningful design decisions.
Interaction Design
Interaction Design is the creation and implementation of how users interact with services or products. This customer-centric concept shapes the user journey, focusing on optimizing the engagement aspects of a service for an enhanced user experience. Successful interaction design enhances satisfaction, increases usability, and fosters meaningful engagement between the user and the provider.
Level 1: Emerging
At a foundational level you are learning how users interact with simple services or products, applying basic techniques to support clear and intuitive user journeys. You follow existing guidelines and seek feedback from others to improve your work. Your contribution helps create straightforward and accessible experiences for customers.
Level 2: Proficient
At a developing level you are able to contribute to the design of simple user interactions under guidance, focusing on clear navigation and ease of use. You support the team by applying basic interaction principles to small parts of a service or product. Your work helps improve user experience in straightforward situations.
Level 3: Advanced
At a proficient level you are able to design and refine user interactions for complex services, ensuring they are intuitive and accessible. You work confidently across digital and non-digital touchpoints, applying user feedback to improve journeys. Your work leads to smoother, more satisfying experiences that increase engagement and meet both user and business needs.
Information Architecture
Information Architecture is the strategic structuring of data and interfaces in service design. It involves creating a layout that allows users to intuitively navigate a service, such as digital platforms, understanding their location at any given point. Its impact is improved UX and customer satisfaction.
Level 1: Emerging
At a foundational level you are able to recognize basic structures for organizing information within digital services, such as menu layouts or content groupings. You can follow existing guidelines to help users find what they need more easily, supporting a clearer and simpler experience. Your work helps users understand where they are in a service and move between sections confidently.
Level 2: Proficient
At a developing level you are starting to organize content and information in a way that helps users find what they need in digital services. You follow existing structures, ask for feedback, and make basic updates under guidance. This helps make navigation easier for users, but you still need support with more complex information architecture tasks.
Level 3: Advanced
At a proficient level you are able to structure and organize information so users can easily find what they need within a service or digital platform. You consistently create clear navigation flows and layouts that make sense to both users and stakeholders. This approach improves user experience and leads to greater customer satisfaction.
Inclusive Design Practices
Inclusive Design Practices' is a working approach within Service Design and UX that recognizes and respects a broad range of user needs. This involves substantial knowledge of user diversity, capabilityed application of accessibility principles, and consistent advocacy for user inclusivity. The impact is a service or user experience that caters to all demographics, thus increasing overall usability and customer satisfaction.
Level 1: Emerging
At a foundational level you are aware that users have different needs and experiences, and you take basic steps to include a diverse range of people in your Service Design or UX work. You follow accessibility guidelines when prompted and seek advice from team members to make your work more inclusive. This helps ensure your contributions support better usability for a wider group of users.
Level 2: Proficient
At a developing level you are learning to recognize the value of inclusive design in your Service Design and UX work. You follow established accessibility guidelines and make basic adjustments to accommodate different user needs, seeking feedback from others when unsure. This helps you create services and experiences that are more usable for a wider audience.
Level 3: Advanced
At a proficient level you are able to design services and experiences that reliably meet a variety of user needs, drawing on solid knowledge of accessibility and inclusivity principles. You routinely identify and address barriers for diverse users throughout your design process. Your work results in services that are more usable and welcoming for everyone.
Design Systems Use
Design Systems Use is the aptitude to utilise established design frameworks in creating user experiences. It necessitates a solid understanding of the system's componentry and functionality, along with the skills to apply them effectively. This capability, fundamental to Service Design & UX, facilitates consistency, improves efficiency and ultimately nurtures superior user interfaces.
Level 1: Emerging
At a foundational level you are able to follow established design systems when creating simple user interfaces. You use common components as instructed, focusing on consistency and accuracy rather than adaptation. This helps ensure your work aligns with team standards and supports a reliable user experience.
Level 2: Proficient
At a developing level you are able to use design system components in your work, following established guidelines with some independence. You seek assistance when unsure and are building confidence in choosing and applying the right elements. This helps deliver consistent and coherent user experiences while you continue to grow your understanding of design system best practice.
Level 3: Advanced
At a proficient level you are able to confidently use established design systems to create clear, consistent user journeys across services. You understand the purpose and limitations of key components, selecting and adapting them to meet different project needs. Your work helps teams deliver efficient, cohesive experiences that are easy for users to navigate.
Continuous Design Iteration
Continuous Design Iteration is the persistent refinement of service design or user experience based on feedback, data and user needs. It involves iteratively conceptualising, testing and revising designs, employing a deep understanding of user behavior and preferences. This practice aids in delivering user-centered, effective and scalable solutions, enhancing the overall service experience.
Level 1: Emerging
At a foundational level you are beginning to notice when designs can be improved by seeking feedback and observing how users interact with services. You take small steps to suggest or try changes, learning from each outcome. Your actions help ensure that user needs are considered early in the design process.
Level 2: Proficient
At a developing level you are beginning to gather and use feedback and basic data to make simple design changes in response to user needs. You can contribute to team discussions on what to improve, and help test updated designs. This helps create services that are more useful and better matched to what users want.
Level 3: Advanced
At a proficient level you are able to confidently lead cycles of design improvement, using real user feedback and data to guide your decisions. You plan and run iterative testing, refining services or experiences to better meet user needs. Your approach helps deliver solutions that are practical, user-centered, and able to adapt as expectations change.
Co-Design Facilitation
Co-Design Facilitation is the practice of collaboratively crafting and optimizing user experience design, ensuring diverse user needs are factored into service design. It involves encouraging participation and idea sharing, cultivating a shared understanding among stakeholders. This capability significantly enhances design validity and relevance, leading to user-centric solutions that align with user expectations and business objectives.
Level 1: Emerging
At a foundational level you are able to support co-design activities by helping to organize sessions and encourage participation from team members and users. You follow established approaches, listen to different viewpoints, and help capture ideas clearly. Your involvement ensures all voices are heard, laying the groundwork for more inclusive and effective Service Design outcomes.
Level 2: Proficient
At a developing level you are beginning to support co-design sessions by helping facilitate discussions and gathering input from different users. You work alongside more experienced facilitators, learning how to include a range of perspectives and encourage open sharing. Your contribution helps create a more inclusive design process that sets the stage for user-focused solutions.
Level 3: Advanced
At a proficient level you are able to confidently plan and facilitate co-design sessions, ensuring a wide range of voices are heard and understood throughout the design process. You adapt your approach to engage participants and clearly document insights, helping teams shape services that reflect real user needs. Your facilitation leads to practical, user-focused design outcomes.
