Designing services for better transfer experiences in healthcare contexts

Services are increasingly delivered within complex ecosystems involving multiple actors. This complexity often requires customers to transfer between different service contexts and interact with various providers. These sequences of actions—hereafter referred to as transfer journeys—are unfortunately not always well coordinated. This is particularly problematic in healthcare, where the growing number of people living with multimorbid conditions means patients frequently encounter challenges when moving from one service setting to another, which has important implications for customer experiences. Service design methods are commonly applied to redesign services and improve user experiences. However, the specific conditions that enhance the effectiveness of these approaches for developing better transfer journeys have not yet been thoroughly examined. Building on a systematic review in a healthcare context—registered on PROSPERO (ID: CRD42024519638)—this study aims to explore how healthcare services can be designed to create better transfer experiences. Specifically, we seek to understand: (1) which service design methods and tools have been used to improve transfer experiences in healthcare contexts, and (2) the extent to which these methods have contributed to enhancing those experiences. To identify studies offering the best insights into service design methods, tools, and their implications for transfer experiences in healthcare settings, we searched Web of Science, PubMed, and Embase for full articles and reviews focusing on design (including design thinking), transfer, and customer outcomes in a healthcare context, published up to February 2025. In total, 7,688 papers were screened by title and abstract by two independent reviewers, of which 159 were selected for full-text review, and 48 papers were retained. These papers were analyzed using thematic analysis. Preliminary findings indicate that the papers reviewed either focus on the process of service design—qualitatively evaluating how participants perceived the design process—or on the outcomes of the design exercise. This review enables us to combine these insights, bringing in (1) a process perspective (e.g., reflexivity and evaluation of the design process) and (2) a variance perspective (i.e., focus on the final outcomes of the service design process). By combining insights from both perspectives, this study enhances our understanding of the conditions under which design thinking approaches effectively contribute to co-creating value for organizations and their beneficiaries when redesigning transfer journeys—both during the service design process and in the outcomes achieved. In doing so, we advance the service domain by offering deeper insights into service design methods and their implications from both process and variance perspectives, an area that has received limited attention to date.