Servitizing Happiness: Implementing service design in an emerging social enterprise

Servitizing Happiness: Implementing service design in an emerging social enterprise

Van Campen, T.M.

Person, F.E.O.K. (mentor)
Valencia Cardona, A.M. (mentor)

Industrial Design Engineering

Industrial Design

Master of Science Strategic Product Design

2014-04-24

What makes you happy? This question forms the basis of Make if Happy (MiH), a company that aims to use happiness as a medium to create social change in the world. In two years time, this simple question grew out into a foundation with a large grassroots movement. Now, the organization is ready to take the next step and wants to become more sustainable by developing the commercial side of the organization. In this light, MiH recently decided to partner with the marketing firm LeadDog Marketing Group and to make the transition from a foundation to a social enterprise. For MiH to succeed as a social enterprise, they need to find a way to materialize happiness into a commercial service. Therefore, the objective of this thesis is to design a service for MiH that complements the company’s perspective on happiness while it (1) fits the brand seamlessly and (2) gives the company the foundation to function as a professional social enterprise. To identify the most important characteristics that impact the service development of a starting social enterprise, the first part of the thesis is an elaborate literature study that forms the theoretical background of the service development. From academic studies about social enterprises, service development and business development for start-ups, four key characteristics were identified: a clear strategic mission, brand development, create a positive brand reputation, and differentiate. In the exploration, the second phase of the thesis, these characteristics were tested with MiH by means of an internal and external analysis. It became clear that as a result of the fast organic growth of the organization, there was no formalized strategy for the development of commercial services. Although the company is highly original and innovative, the absence of a clear strategy and identity hinders the advancement of (commercial) service development and also trust with (potential) clients. With this in mind, the findings of the literature study and exploration were combined. As a result, a business strategy was formulated that strengthens the organization’s core business first. From which in the creation phase, a new commercial identity was created to achieve this goal. An important part of the identity creation is the establishment of four main drivers of happiness: connectivity, autonomy, mastery, and purpose (CAMP). Hereafter, the four main drivers of happiness were incorporated into a framework for the development of commercial services based on the principle of learning by doing. The goal of this framework is to gain trust of potential clients and to give MiH a structured basis from which they can develop new services themselves. To enhance client trust, the first steps of the framework are specified into more detail. The last steps are left more open to make sure that there is still enough flexibility for MiH to use their own unique methods and ideas. In conclusion, the proposed happiness approach and service design framework enables MiH to take the step to become a professional social enterprise. Both the approach and framework are based on the meaning of happiness and the current skills of the organization, which enables MiH to use them, and to deliver brand fit services.

service design
new service development
happiness
framework

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:65cb08a7-ad68-4d4b-a9fe-e55de78e4d3a

Campus only

Student theses

master thesis

(c) 2014 Van Campen, T.M.