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The use of experiential theater in the design and prototyping of services.
In the world of service design, one of the main difficulties lies in creating meaningful experiences from something intangible. While physical products can be tested, measured and modified, with services these operations are more complex.
But this is where service design and prototyping play an important role, allowing designers to not only conceptualize but also visualize the interactions that make up the customer or user experience. However, this process can be problematic, as it requires representing and communicating experiences that are not always easy to perceive.
An innovative method to address this challenge is the use of experiential theater. This technique allows to represent in the physical world the complete customer/user journey in a dynamic, interactive and empathetic way. This form of prototyping facilitates not only design but also continuous improvement.
What is experiential theater and how does it relate to service design?
Experiential theater is a form of performance that focuses on the active participation of the audience and the representation of real experiences in an immersive context. This methodology is based on improvisation, the design of environments and the interpretation of roles, which allows for a more fluid and organic performance.
As in a play, roles, interactions and scenarios become key elements to represent and prototype services. These elements can be adapted to create prototypes to represent different situations and analyze possible improvements.
Theater components applied to service prototyping
In the service design process, scenarios can be created to simulate different points of contact between customers/users and the service. As in a play, designers can build spaces that represent both physical and digital interaction, considering accessibility and layout of elements. For example, a scenario can be designed to simulate the customer's journey inside a store, from arrival to final purchase.
Roles are also essential. Each member of the design team can take on a role representing a customer or employee, allowing you to explore how each interacts. This allows you to understand not only the emotions of the participants but also how the different pieces within the service interrelate, creating a much more complete picture of the customer/user experience.
Conversations between participants can simulate real-life interactions, helping to identify critical points and opportunities to improve the experience. This representation allows to discover situations that can emotionally affect the customer and how they can be optimized.
Last but not least, the backstage. Here we can find all the internal processes, policies, procedures and systems that support and enable a smooth customer and user experience. This set is not always visible but it is essential for everything to work properly on the main stage.
For this reason, service designers need to have a global vision, capable of integrating both direct interaction and the internal systems and processes that make it possible. Thinking in terms of systems allows them not only to design effective and efficient experiences but also to identify areas for improvement that optimize the entire service cycle, from direct service to the internal operations that support it.
To make these performances, at Proaxion we use not only service design specialists and experience designers, but also actors trained in the experiential theater technique, since they have greater ductility than an ordinary person for the representation of different types of customers. This team, together with the client's team, is the one that will perform the prototyping performance.
Benefits of using experiential theater in service design
Empathy: By participating in renderings, designers can put themselves in the customer/user's shoes, which helps generate a deeper understanding of their emotions and expectations.
Creativity: By incorporating elements of improvisation, designers can explore multiple solutions and alternatives that would not arise in a traditional process.
Interdisciplinary collaboration: Experiential theater promotes a collaborative approach between different areas of the organization. Designers, developers and any interested party can work together in the creation of a service prototype.
Efficient use of resources: Through the simulation of services and the representation of different scenarios, problems and areas for improvement can be identified without the need to build a real service from scratch, thus saving time and resources.
Clear visualization of the experience: By representing the customer and user journey and touch points in a tangible way, it makes it easier to understand how each element contributes to the overall experience. This helps teams quickly identify pain points and opportunities for improvement.
Conclusion
Experiential theater is not only a creative tool but also a powerful technique to enrich the service design process. Its participatory and collaborative approach promotes empathy, creativity and a holistic view of the service, helping to create more complete and satisfying experiences.