What is it?
Live service prototyping simulates the user experience of complex service delivery so that processes and user experiences can be optimised early in the development process where it is easier and more cost-effective to make changes.
Intended for processes beyond web/app interfaces such as retail environments or customer support, live service prototypes are conducted in the intended contexts and involve actual end-users and service representatives. Users undertake tasks and researchers analyse both end-user and service representative interactions and experiences from a user-experience perspective, identifying issues and making recommendations for change.
Similar to website or app prototyping, live service prototyping can be of varying fidelity:
- Low fidelity: Essentially roleplay. Cheap and fast. Spot the big issues and establish processes.
- Mid fidelity: Roleplay with interactive elements such as prototyped apps or web pages. Helps to refine processes.
- High fidelity: Nearly indistinguishable from the real thing. Often users don’t know they are doing a test run. Requires release-quality assets. Finalises processes.
Ultimately, live service prototyping at increasing fidelities helps you to understand in a timely and cost-effective manner, how complex service delivery can be improved for both users and service representatives.
When to use live service prototyping?
- In the early stages of a new product or service being developed.
- When you need to better understand the complex relationships between the actors, processes, touchpoints and technology in a system.
- When a product is complex, multi-platformed/channelled.
Want to conduct live service prototyping?
Bunnyfoot has always prioritised evidence capture and valid, bespoke study designs to truly understand the nature of user engagement, interactions and behaviours, in a holistic way.
If you would like to talk about how we can support you with gaining a deeper understanding of your audience so you can make evidence-driven design decisions, we’d love to talk!
