Week 9 | servicescape

 Connecting the Dots 

Synthesizing Service Insights

“Design should not dominate things, should not dominate people. It should help people. That’s its role.”

 

—Dieter Rams

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Overview
Qualitative analysis culminates in framing: How do emergent codes develop into design opportunities? Friese (2019) emphasizes visualization as a core sensemaking practice. Building on Charmaz’s constructivist grounded theory (2024; 2008; 2000), this week focuses on refining coding practices and applying Sankey diagramming to synthesize patterns across interviews. These techniques—clustering, mapping, and visual representation—support design ethnographers in constructing clearer interpretations and shared meaning. Students practice articulating both what the data reveal and why these insights matter, strengthening their capacity to communicate research findings to diverse stakeholders.

 

Reflections

• How do data visualization tools, such as Sankey diagrams or service blueprints, make intangible, abstract human experiences visible and actionable?

• In your synthesis process, when did a fragment of data suddenly “make sense” within the larger system, and why

 

References

• Charmaz, K. (2024). Constructive Grounded Theory (2nd ed.). SAGE Publications.

• Charmaz, K. (2008). Grounded Theory as An Emergent Method. In S. N. Hesse-Biber & P.

• Leavy (Eds.), Handbook of Emergent Methods (pp. 155–172). Guilford Press.

• Charmaz, K. (2000). Grounded Theory: Objectivist and Constructivist Methods. In N. K. Denzin & Y. S. Lincoln (Eds.), Handbook of Qualitative Research (2nd ed., pp. 509–535). Sage Publications.

• Friese, S. (2019). Qualitative Data Analysis with ATLAS.ti. SAGE.

• Lee, S.-H., Warren, K., & Coughlin, J. F. (2025). Social Structures Relevant to Longevity Service Systems. Design Studies, 92, 103207. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.destud.2025.103207

• Lee, S.-H., Lin, J.-Y., & Coughlin, J. F. (2023). Co-create Financial Planning Services for an Aging Population. Journal of Service Research, 26(4), 567–583. https://doi.org/10.1177/10946705231100000

• Vink, J., & Koskela-Huotari, K. (2021). Service System. In R. F. Lusch & S. L. Vargo (Eds.), The SAGE Handbook of Service-dominant Logic (pp. 288–306). SAGE Publications.