Executive Course in Evaluation Methods For Service Design

In partnership with: POLIMI Graduate School of Management


Evaluation is a very topical issue in various contexts: for companies that have to adapt to new sustainability standards, for public organisations that have to verify the effects of their programmes and policies, for the third sector that is expected to produce significant social changes.

Similarly, since operating in the above-mentioned contexts, evaluation is also becoming an increasingly necessary skill and practice for those involved in service design, in order to justify their design choices with objective evidence and to measure the transformative impact of their solutions

The course aims to integrate the professional skills and tools of service designers to meet the evaluation needs of organisations in support of today's social, economic and environmental challenges.


Training objectives

The course proposes a programme that integrates disciplinary and extra-disciplinary contributions, aimed on the one hand at deepening the possible evaluation practices within the service design process and on the other hand at providing evaluation methods and tools to be used in the professional practice.

Specifically, during the course, experts and qualified lecturers from both the design and evaluation fields will accompany participants in the integration of design practice with evaluation practice, sharing approaches, methodologies and tools useful for, among others, setting up a theory of change, structuring evaluation research, defining or constructing qualitative and quantitative indicators, elaborating evaluation conclusions, and dealing with impact measurement.

The course intends to provide those involved in service design with the necessary skills to evaluate existing services that need to be redesigned, service concepts or prototypes to support effective and efficient project development, or new service solutions once introduced to the market, with particular attention to the economic, social and environmental impacts they generate.

Didactic Plan

The didactic contents consist of an online course and an in-presence workshop.

The online course will be structured in 9 lessons of 3 hours each, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. (for a total of 27 hours). The online course could then be complemented by an (optional) in-presence project experience lasting 3 days (for a total of 17 hours), during which participants will be able to put into practice what they have learnt online through dedicated exercises.

The in-presence workshop will be held at Cascina Cuccagna, Via Privata Cuccagna, 2/4, Milano


Didactic Modules

Online Course:

- Lesson 1 – Introduction to Evaluation and Evaluation Research
Wednesday 2 October 2024 – from 5 to 8 p.m. (online)

- Lesson 2 – Stages of evaluation in the design process
Wednesday 5 October 2024 – from 5 to 8 p.m. (online)

- Lesson 3 – Building qualitative and quantitative indicators
Wednesday 9 October 2024 – from 5 to 8 p.m. (online)

- Lesson 4 – Structuring a service evaluation framework: elements and tools
Saturday 12 October 2024 – from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. (online)

- Lesson 5 – Introduction to Impact Evaluation
Wednesday 16 October 2024 – from 5 to 8 p.m. (online)

- Lesson 6 – Setting up a Theory of Change
Saturday 19 October 2024 – from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. (online)

- Lesson 7 – Assessing social impact
Wednesday 23 October 2024 – from 5 to 8 p.m. (online)

- Lesson 8 – Assessing environmental impact
Saturday 26 October 2024 – from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. (online)

- Lesson 9 – Critical analysis of evaluation
Wednesday 30 October 2024 – from 5 to 8 p.m. (online)
 

The in-presence workshop will focus on the structuring of a service evaluation framework and of the necessary components for its implementation (indicators, tools, etc.) through the application to a real case. This application case may be proposed by the participant according to a set of requirements provided by the faculty. If the participant does not have a suitable application case, this will be provided by the faculty.
 

Workshop programme – November 14, 15 e 16 2024

- Day 1 (3h) Launching the exercise and Theory of Change construction
- Day 2 (7h) Structuring the evaluation framework
- Day 3 (7h) Evaluation planning and final presentations

The workshop will take place in a suggestive location to experience three immersive days that have an experiential value in addition to the educational one.

Requirements:

The course is addressed at those involved in service design practice within public or private organizations or consultancy firms, as well as at freelance professionals. It aims to integrate the design skills of who work in the field of service design and service innovation with the evaluation skills necessary both to direct the design process and to measure the design outcomes, in favor of a systemic approach endowed with a high transformative value.

The course is open to candidates with a high school diploma or degree in Design, Architecture or Engineering, or in non-polytechnic disciplines, such as Economics, Communication Sciences and Social Sciences for whom the polytechnic disciplines can provide a significant addition to their previous professional training.