Service Design User Types

An overview of user types in service design and what role emotional and social jobs play.

Published on: March 15, 2019 by SI Labs

We explore different user-types in B2B Service Design and give you an overview of who you are designing your B2B service for.

Who Are You Designing For?

In B2B Service Design, understanding your users is more complex than in B2C. You’re designing for multiple stakeholders with different needs, goals, and constraints.

Key User Types in B2B

The Decision Maker

Has the authority to approve purchases. Cares about ROI, risk, and strategic fit.

The User

Actually uses the service day-to-day. Cares about usability, efficiency, and making their job easier.

The Influencer

Shapes the decision without making it. Can be internal experts or external advisors.

The Champion

Advocates for your service internally. Critical for adoption and retention.

B2B decisions aren’t purely rational. People have emotional needs (feeling competent, reducing stress) and social needs (looking good to colleagues, building relationships).

Designing for Multiple Stakeholders

The key is understanding how user types are interrelated and designing experiences that work for all of them - not just the end user.

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