Course Description:The emerging discipline of service design offers tools, methods, and most importantly, mindsets to help people from diverse backgrounds collaborate in the creation of better service experiences. In order to do this, we must be able to take a broad, systemic view; we must also master the details of specific interactions. Students will explore this space over the course of the semester, following the arc of a typical service design project and working in small teams, reflecting our actual professional practice.Section Description:In this course we will address the growing epidemic of loneliness. The output of this class are prototyped services which cultivate authentic, embodied connections that can provide moments of contentment and potentially alleviate loneliness. We will consider the antidote to social isolation as meaningful, embodied connections which range from brief interactions to sustained and enduring relationships. These genuine, reciprocal experiences can occur at any scale, from the intimate and personal to the collective and communal. The primary emphasis of your service will be to support meaningful face-to-face moments, activities and exchanges where participants feel a sense of belonging and/or purpose. Digital technology will play a supporting role and be in service of these person-to-person experiences.Through collaborative practices and reflection, we will sensitize ourselves to the suffering which arises from this subjective feeling of social isolation. Because of the social distancing arising from current covid-19 pandemic , we are all feeling this to some degree or another. This is an excellent moment to be mindful of how isolation feels and how social disconnection influences both our sense of loneliness and our need for genuine, direct connection. In preparation for this class, you are strongly encouraged to keep track of this time in any way that helps you feel your way into the topic. 

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