# On the Value of Tinkering  URL:: http://designforservice.wordpress.com/2012/03/30/on-the-value-of-tinkering/ Author:: Design for Service ## Highlights > An entire generation of web designers have bootstrapped themselves into the profession without the need for an actual client or project, or anyone else’s involvement or permission. That experimentation is how we learn. > But for a service designer, not only is such an arrangement less than ideal; it’s completely unworkable. Clients and the interactions they embody are the medium of a service. Designing without a client is like cooking without food. I’ve made this mistake myself and the results help to illuminate the nature of service design. You simply can’t credibly explore beyond the line of visibility without access; or prototype without the cooperation of the people and systems involved. Speculative service design requires buy-in from the client (or at least acquiescence) on a scale that dwarfs the first-order discipline ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01hmj78jy3j6m6q3hrd3q4kshj)) --- Title: On the Value of Tinkering Author: Design for Service Tags: readwise, articles date: 2024-01-30 --- # On the Value of Tinkering  URL:: http://designforservice.wordpress.com/2012/03/30/on-the-value-of-tinkering/ Author:: Design for Service ## AI-Generated Summary Service design faces an important obstacle when it comes to education. Every design problem is a negotiation between a designer, their client and the intended audience but for service designers tha… ## Highlights > An entire generation of web designers have bootstrapped themselves into the profession without the need for an actual client or project, or anyone else’s involvement or permission. That experimentation is how we learn. > But for a service designer, not only is such an arrangement less than ideal; it’s completely unworkable. Clients and the interactions they embody are the medium of a service. Designing without a client is like cooking without food. I’ve made this mistake myself and the results help to illuminate the nature of service design. You simply can’t credibly explore beyond the line of visibility without access; or prototype without the cooperation of the people and systems involved. Speculative service design requires buy-in from the client (or at least acquiescence) on a scale that dwarfs the first-order discipline ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01hmj78jy3j6m6q3hrd3q4kshj))