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Helping TU Delft Library connect organisational decisions with people's everyday experiences.

Helping TU Delft Library connect organisational decisions with

people's everyday experiences.

Designing Services

People often associate service design with journey maps, blueprints and workshops. For me, those are simply tools. The real work is helping organisations understand the services they already have, connect different perspectives and build the capability to keep improving together.

People often associate service design with journey maps, blueprints and workshops. For me, those are simply tools. The real work is helping organisations understand the services they already have, connect different perspectives and build the capability to keep improving together.

Role

Service Designer Manager

Organisation

TU Delft Library

Duration

2022 - current

Impact

Academia · Industry · Europe · Asia

Chapter 01

Connecting Organisational Thinking
with User Experience

When I joined TU Delft Library, the organisation already managed an inventory of 110+ services. It was an important governance tool that showed everything the library offered.

Through user research, another picture emerged. Researchers, teachers and students consistently described their experience using only around 15 recognisable services.

User research

Interviews, surveys and contextual research with students, researchers, educators and staff.

COntextual research

Workshops with service owners, department heads and the management team

Foucus


Journey management

Outcome

Library service portfolio

User Journey Framework

Question

How can an organisation move from managing services internally to understanding how people actually experience them?

We developed the journey framework below. It shifts the focus from managing services to understanding people's experiences - bringing fragmented services together through the user's perspective

We developed the journey framework below. It shifts the focus from managing services to understanding people’s experiences - bringing fragmented services together through the user’s perspective

Chapter 02

Turning the Framework into Change

The framework became a practical way of working. Rather than creating one-off journey maps, it helped teams continuously connect user insights with strategic and operational decisions.

Projects

30+ service

design projects

stakeholders

8 library teams

management team

corporate communication

Foucus


From quick improvements to deep strategic redesigns

Outcome

Better digital and physical experiences, supported by stronger collaboration across teams

Stakeholder insights

“Before that project we treated them a little like everybody else… this really confirmed they need extra support.”

- A library team head


“Before that project we treated them a little like everybody else… this really confirmed they need extra support.”

- A library team head

“Before that project we treated them a little like everybody else… this really confirmed they need extra support.”

- A library team head

Selected Projects

Explore selected service design projects →

Chapter 03

Building a Shared Language for Service Design

Service design gradually became less about individual projects and more about helping people work together. Through facilitation, co-design and workshops, teams developed a shared understanding of services, customer experience and continuous improvement.

Shared understanding

Service portfolio

Journey framework

Shared terminology

Grow Design capacity

4 Service designers

3 external service design agencies

10+ design assistants

Design


Digital services

Physical services

Internal processes

Outcome

Service Design Handbook

Design capability across teams

Observations

Observations

Service owners initially expected evaluation.


After the first workshop, they wanted to attend another.


Service owners initially expected evaluation.


After the first workshop, they wanted to attend another.

Stakeholder insights

Stakeholder insights

Stakeholder insights

“You really allocate the time and energy to focus on a certain aspect, then really delve into it, research it, and come out better on the other end.”

- Team head from the Academic Heritage


“You really allocate the time and energy to focus on a certain aspect, then really delve into it, research it, and come out better on the other end.”

- Team head from the Academic Heritage

“You really allocate the time and energy to focus on a certain aspect, then really delve into it, research it, and come out better on the other end.”

- Team head from the Academic Heritage

Observations

Observations

Conversations shifted from ownership towards user experience.

Service deisgn Handbook for Colleagues

→ Read the handbook


Service deisgn Handbook

for Colleagues

→ Read the handbook

Service deisgn Handbook

for Colleagues


→ Read the handbook


Chapter 04

Design Together

The journey framework informed a wide range of service improvements - from websites and physical spaces to customer journeys, service blueprints and operational processes. Each project addressed a different challenge while contributing to the same organisational vision.

Improved support for researchers throughout the publishing process.

researchers' Publishing Journey

Customer Experience Metrics

TU DELFT LIBRARY WEBSITE

Improving Learning experience

Looking back

I don't think the biggest outcome was a framework or a collection of projects. It was seeing conversations change. People gradually stopped talking about individual services and started discussing how researchers and students actually experienced the library.

That's the kind of service design I enjoy most - not simply improving touchpoints, but helping organisations see the connections between people, services and strategy..

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