Harold Walsh |  Industrial Design

The best example of such a holistic service approach in 2015 was “The Urban Yield” created by a young group of designers from the Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, Australia. The service connected a network of farmers and community gardeners with local cafes and restaurants, to create an environmentally conscious and community orientated food mobility network. The designers of the service envisioned a dedicated cargo bike that picked up and delivered fresh produce in the city. By providing a mobile infrastructure, in the form of specialised cargo bicycles, the system aimed to promote urban agriculture and encourage community engagement in localised food production and distribution.

They also designed an app that allowed growers to notify couriers of a pick up location, including information on the food type and weight. Additionally, the app lets the grower keep track of their pick up and a navigation system enables the couriers to easily find the location of the grower. And finally, a restaurant or cafe could order fresh produce through the app and keep track of their deliveries and payments.

Although not a unique concept in itself, it reflects the designers’ attention to every detail and aspect of the service; from the design of the bike to the app, the service experience itself and even the branding of the service. Services that excel are typically consistent, delightful to use, and unique.