Blueprinting Services to Foster Shared Understanding
- Conference Year
- Online Northwest 2026
- Session
- 2
- Type
- Breakout Session
- Presenters
- Beth Filar Williams, Oregon State University
- Ian Scofield, Oregon State University
- Abstract
Service blueprints focus on a user’s steps of their journey for a need/a service, by adding in the service provider and behind the scenes steps. A service blueprint is a foundational document that outlines the underlying dependencies and requirements for a service – current or future state. This single document is a very powerful tool in service design because it outlines both the onstage, or what is visible to the patron, and the offstage, what happens behind the scenes to perform or deliver a service. This session will provide an overview of blueprinting as part of service design that any library can apply. The presenters will share examples of blueprinting in their library, including how and why someone might consider applying this method to review their library’s user services. During this session, attendees will have ample time to workshop a blueprint with predefined scenarios, and share out about the process and ask questions. This session is specifically about reviewing or unpacking the “unwritten” aspects of our work – why (& how!) we do what we do – but also can help with navigating change visually through blueprinting service processes.