Performing Service Design Experiments Using Ethnomethodology and Theatre-Based Reenactment: A Swiss Ski Resort Case Study

  • Authors:

  • Emmanuel Fragniè/re;Benjamin Nanchen;Marshall Sitten

  • Affiliations:

  • University of Bath, Bath BA2 7AY, United Kingdom/ and Haute É/cole de Gestion de Genè/ve, University of Applied Sciences Western Switzerland, CH-1227 Carouge, Switzerland;Haute Ecole Spé/cialisé/e de Suisse occidentale, CH-2800 Delé/mont, Switzerland/ and Haute É/cole de Gestion, University of Geneva, CH-1227 Carouge, Switzerland;Haute É/cole de Gestion de Genè/ve, University of Applied Sciences Western Switzerland, and Flashing12 Communications, CH-1227 Carouge, Switzerland

  • Venue:
  • Service Science
  • Year:
  • 2012

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Abstract

A service experience corresponds to a social process whose “production” involves both a provider and a client. This production process that leads to a problem resolution does not follow a linear sequence, as in the case of industrialized organizations. Through ethnomethodology, we are able to “tangibilize” the social codes and systems of beliefs that drive the service experience. Then, through scriptwriting and role plays, we redesign, safeguard (risk management), price, and test the new service. After three years of applying this approach in our service lab, hundreds of students have been introduced to the process of ethnomethodology and have designed their own services. To illustrate the approach, we present in this paper a service design that we have implemented for the tourist information service of Crans-Montana, Switzerland.