The value of design for customers in the service industry: contributions and measurements

In the contemporary market, quality is no longer the key differentiator for a brand. Among the marketing activities available, design is arguably acknowledged as the most distinctive method for achieving long-term brand recognition. Unlike technology, design emotionally interacts with people, and it is not easy to emulate a compelling design identity that has been effectively established. Despite its well-recognised impact, companies still hesitate to strategically employ design. The main source of the hesitation may be rooted in the ambiguity of measuring design contributions. This is particularly true in the service industry where the impact of technology development is relatively lower. This makes it a suitable industry sector for investigating environments where design has a more significant marketing role. Two major forms of research are performed within this paper: the horizontal/spectrum understanding of value, and embedding design perspectives in the service-profit chain using SERVQUAL (SERVice-QUALity) measurements. This paper proposes a model that can quantify and visualise design contributions from the customer’s perspective within the service industry sector.