Service Blueprint

A comprehensive visualisation of organisational services, systems, and processes aligned with user journeys.

Overview

This project involved creating a comprehensive service blueprint for my organisation Drinkaware, a charity with a mission to reduce alcohol related harm in the UK.

I used a top-line “super user journey“ that collated previous user journey work and defined a linear journey across the Drinkaware digital estate, cross referencing behavioural states of change and our newly formed organisation Theory of Change.

A slide from my organisation-wide presentation on the service blueprint project.

I greyed out the completed stages to show which stage I was currently at.

Goals and Objectives

A brown woman with hoop earrings exclaiming "Is there anything a service blueprint can't do?"

Image used in my organisation-wide presentation when talking about the benefits of using a service blueprint.

  1. Define a ‘super user journey’ that incorporated the dynamic user journeys that have previously been mapped out and align with Drinkaware’s Theory of Change and behavioural states of change.

  2. Map all services, processes and systems from across the organisation and it’s agencies that support the user journey.

  3. Identify gaps, inefficiences and opportunities for improvement.

  4. Create a repeatable process for tracking and informing annual organisational goals.

Research and Discovery

Team session agenda.

I booked in sessions with all teams from across the organisation. The aim of these was to gather individual and team insights into frontstage and backstage actions, supporting processes, and technology used to deliver services.

In order to make these as efficient as possible and to ensure each stakeholder had the same information when coming to a session, I first held a “tea and tutorial” session where I introduced the project to the wider organisation.

  • Within the organisation wide session:

    • What a service blue print is and why it is beneficial.

    • An overview of the steps to design the blueprint.

    • An overview of the super user journey (draft).

    • A focus on what the team sessions would include and what would be expected from them.

  • Sessions were run online using Miro.

    Part 1- At a glance:

    Using a blank template with the user journey running across the top, I asked participants to highlight where their roles interacted with the different stages laid out:

    • Service user journey layer

    • Front stage actions

    • Back stage actions

    • Support processes

    Part 2- A deeper dive:

    I walked through each section using their post it notes as an aid and asking questions to pull out additional details.

    • User touchpoints and how they support the journey

    • Technology and tools used to deliver service

    • Any supporting processes required for delivery

    • Any regulatory or compliance requirements (e.g. data privacy)

    • How data is used across the journey (collection points, metrics used to measure success)

    Part 3- Current working review:

    • What works well

    • What could be better?

    Part 4- Wrap up

    • Next steps

    • Any last questions?

The Super User Journey

The draft user journey used for stakeholder sessions.

  • Foundation of the blueprint: The user journey was the core component for mapping processes and touchpoints.

  • Leveraged previous work: Built on insights from a prior project of mine defining Drinkaware’s user journeys.

  • Ideal path created: Designed a flexible, high-level journey from initial contact to end point to accommodate diverse users.

  • Use of draft: A draft version of the journey was used in stakeholder sessions to help them visualise and engage with the process.

  • Steps kept intentionally vague, key touchpoints highlighted: The journey was designed to apply to a wide range of user experiences, while still emphasising critical interactions like digital tools (e.g., Drinking Check, App).

  • Emotional journey added: Used emojis to signal potential pitfalls and emotional highs/lows, making the journey more relatable.

  • Alignment with organisational goals: Added layers to show user phases (e.g., awareness, action) and how they connect to Drinkaware’s Theory of Change and strategic goals.

  • Specific steps defined: Concluded by outlining detailed user actions, which became the anchor for mapping processes and systems.

The final user journey.

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