On a global scale, service design offers the opportunity to shape business and industry futures through the examination and analysis of human behavior, societal needs, business models, and competitive environments to create new systems, services, and strategies. With a cadre of AI agents available for personal and business use — among them ChatGPT, Adobe Firefly, Midjourney, and Claude — the human-centered design approaches pioneered in service design may hold the answer for harnessing these nascent technologies for inclusive, positive change. SCAD graduate student Lindsay Brine (M.F.A. service design) has already seen the benefits of "design for good," participating in SCADpro partnerships with NASA developing strategic outreach initiatives for a satellite launch and with the Savannah Tree Foundation synthesizing mixed-method research to improve tree canopy equity in the city. Since then, Brine has researched how the service design perspective can offer a path toward leveraging AI tools to generate responsible, inclusive solutions.
The coming AI revolution will transform customer experience, with generative AI offering significant optimization capabilities. However, concerns around privacy, trust, and the displacement of human workers loom large. Companies must chart a strategic course that balances AI's opportunities with its ethical obligations. Establishing the right foundations - robust data, cloud infrastructure, industry expertise, and a focus on augmenting human capabilities - is critical. While starting with targeted AI applications like chatbots, companies must prepare for AI to eventually transform every customer and employee interface, enabling hyper-personalized experiences. The choices leaders make today on transparency, security, and governance will shape the future of work and customer relationships. By placing human welfare at the center, companies can unlock mutual value and trust through responsible AI implementation.
In partnership with Refinery29, SCAD hosted Next in Beauty in winter 2024 to engage, inspire, and propel the industry forward during its two days of events. As part of this event, SCADask conducted a pre-event survey on the factors that drive consumer purchasing habits. The results? The beauty market has gone global. Social media usage in exploring products and brands has resulted in increased awareness of the human impact on the world as well as the wide spectrum of peoples and cultures in the beauty space, shining a light on practices like South Korean skin care regimes, Middle Eastern and African fragrance rituals such as burning bakhoor, and more. SCADask survey responses indicate that brands must continue expanding their use of sustainable practices, diverse and representative products, and inclusive packaging design to both drive societal change and capture the expanding Gen Z and Gen Alpha consumer markets, with sustainability, affordability, and effectiveness the top priorities for these young consumers.
Though pronouncements about the demise of movie theaters have been routine in film history — from the end of the silent-film era to the advent of home video formats like VCR and DVD — the COVID-19 pandemic nearly did become the death knell for movie houses. Domestic box office revenues cratered from $11.9 billion in 2018 to $2.3 billion in 2020, and many studios shifted their film premieres to a hybrid model, offering a limited screening window in favor of expanded, earlier streaming options. A SCADask research team surveyed the entire SCAD student population, more than 17,500 students, about their theater experiences and viewing habits. Even with 86% of respondents reporting the importance of films in their lives, the overwhelming majority — more than 75% — preferred streaming options over trips to the theater. In further industry research, the SCADask team posited that theaters must pivot to marketing special experiences, like creative food and beverage options, diverse community events, special screenings, and more to captivate audiences again.
