Service phantasms

This chapter explores the relationship between design and external and mental representations in service design. It delves into the distinction between reality and virtuality of external representations and how they can be used to understand and include people in the design process. Central concepts include "service phantasm," a way to understand how service can be perceived and formed as part of design, using mental representations influenced by imagination and internal and collective activities; diagetic prototyping, the inclusion of elements of "reality" in prototyping to create a sense of immersion and believability; and simulacrum, an emergent image of service, which is a perceivable collection of external representations. The chapter also discusses the challenge of working with a wide range of materials in service design, and the importance of bridging the gap between reality and virtuality through modeling, mapping, and enacting. Themes for further exploration include the role of the service designer as a translator of communication, thought, virtuality, and reality, and the importance of understanding and making sense of service through external representations.