Service design is one of the most widely used and business critical forms of design within a lot of industries including the public sector, banking, non profit and more- it is a holistic approach to user/ customer experience and encompasses on and offline experience, the versatility of the work is one of its biggest appeals.

Service designer
Service design researcher
Interaction designer
Service design consultant
Service design manager
UX service designer

Service design director
Senior service designer/ consultant
Head of service design
Service design lead

We’ve outlined the latest salary benchmarks for Service Design roles in the guides below:

Design Salary Guide South West

A good service designer needs system thinking, visualization and the ability to map out user stories/ experiences. Communication is key also as you will be working with a diverse mix of stakeholders and users- the synthesis of your research, ideation and strategy is crucial.

Other skills are prototyping, system mapping, storyboarding, user testing, customer journey mapping and more.

There are a number of service design degrees but you can move into service design from other design-focused courses too, it’s very important to find an internship or junior role within a company who practices service design the right way and can develop you.

Salary:

£25k – £32k

What They Do:

Supports the creation of service blueprints and customer journeys, assists in research, and contributes to the design of user-focused services.

Skills Needed:

• Understanding of user research methods
• Basic service blueprinting and journey mapping skills
• Collaboration and workshop facilitation
• Adobe Creative Suite, Figma, or Miro basics
• Stakeholder communication skills

Salary:

£32k – £42k

What They Do:

Designs user-centred services, runs discovery and research activities, and maps out customer journeys to improve service delivery.

Skills Needed:

• Proficient in service blueprinting and mapping tools
• Experience conducting user research and testing
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• Ability to synthesise complex information
• Skilled in collaboration with multidisciplinary teams

Salary:

£42k – £55k

What They Do:

Leads service design projects, develops strategies for service improvements, and mentors junior designers.

Skills Needed:

• Advanced user research and insight generation
• Strategic service design and process optimisation
• Facilitation of workshops and co-design activities
• Strong client and stakeholder management
• Experience working across public and private sectors

Salary:

£55k – £70k

What They Do:

Oversees multiple service design projects, manages a team, and aligns service design initiatives with organisational strategy.

Skills Needed:

• Leadership and mentoring
• Advanced knowledge of service design methodologies
• Organisational change and transformation skills
• Ability to influence senior stakeholders
• Strategic planning and resource management

Salary:

£70k – £90k

What They Do:

Leads the service design department, defining vision and ensuring service design principles are embedded organisation-wide.

Skills Needed:

• Department leadership and culture building
• Executive-level stakeholder engagement
• Strong commercial and user-centred mindset
• Ability to deliver measurable service improvements
• Budget and resource planning

Salary:

£90k – £120k+

What They Do:

Owns the organisation’s service design strategy, working at board level to integrate service design into business transformation.

Skills Needed:

• Visionary leadership and innovation in service design
• Extensive experience in service design strategy
• Executive and C-suite level communication
• Proven record of delivering organisation-wide change
• Building and scaling multidisciplinary design teams