Conference article

This paper explores the theme of the service desig¬ner as a cultural intermediary and presents a service design method, termed Trendslation, that assists in the translation of cultural phenomena into new service offerings and details. Taking a research through design approach, the method uses a triple-staged semantic transformation to support service designers in the design of more culturally sensitive services. The method is described and exemplified using the author’s explorative design work with major Norwegian service providers within the food and fashion sectors. The method’s utility is discussed, and shows that the method has relevance and can be a useful approach for service designers in utilizing cultural material as part of the design process. Further, the paper introduces the idea that cultural trends can be a source material for designing meaningful services. This supports the emerging view that service design can take a stronger cultural role in the future, that of a cultural intermediary.

service innovation, cultural intermediary, semantic transformation, Trendslation method