Designing a service without patterns is like showing up to build a house with a box of screws and no floor plan. Sure, you’ll figure something out. But chances are it’ll lean, creak, or collapse the moment someone tries to live in it. Service patterns aren’t just shortcuts — they’re how you start making sense of the chaos.They help you sketch the bones of something real. They tell you what’s missing, what’s broken, and what’s been duct-taped for too long.
They’re also how you stop the whole thing from turning into a junk drawer of disconnected features.
Use patterns to frame.
Use them to gut check.
Use them to bring order to the experience you’re building — so it doesn’t just work on paper, it works when it hits the street.
💡 What is a Service Pattern?
A service pattern is a repeatable solution to a common service problem or situation. It’s like a reusable playbook for part of a service — not the whole service — that can be adapted and reused across teams, departments, or even entire sectors.
Think of it as the service equivalent of a design pattern in software or architecture: it provides structure, proven practice, and shared language without being overly prescriptive.
📦 Anatomy of a Service Pattern
The 21 I’ve found the most useful to keep in my design jeans back-pocket
| No. | Service Pattern | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Apply for something | Structured flow to gather and assess eligibility for a product or benefit. |
| 2. | Prove your identity | Securely verify a user’s identity, often including document upload or third-party checks. |
| 3. | Log in / Access account | Authentication flows including 2FA, biometrics, or magic links. |
| 4. | Create an account | Standardised account registration including email/phone verification. |
| 5. | Book an appointment | Selecting time slots, locations, and resources for scheduled services. |
| 6. | Report a problem | Submit structured feedback, complaints, or incidents to a service. |
| 7. | Track progress | Users check the status of something in progress (e.g., applications, deliveries). |
| 8. | Make a payment | Secure and accessible flows to handle one-off or recurring payments. |
| 9. | Cancel or reschedule | Modify or withdraw a request, subscription, or appointment. |
| 10. | Provide evidence | Upload or share documents/photos to support a process. |
| 11. | Check eligibility | Screen or assess whether a user qualifies for a service. |
| 12. | Give feedback | Collect structured or open-ended feedback after a service. |
| 13. | Opt in or out | Allow users to manage preferences or consent (e.g., marketing, cookies). |
| 14. | Notify users | Send proactive updates (email, SMS, in-app) about service status. |
| 15. | Self-serve support | Enable users to solve issues themselves (FAQs, flows, bots). |
| 16. | Escalate to human support | Seamlessly route complex needs to humans when automation fails. |
| 17. | Update personal information | Let users change their name, contact info, address, etc. |
| 18. | Re-authenticate | Periodic checks to confirm continued identity or consent. |
| 19. | Search for something | Allow users to explore the service based on pre-set or custom filters and keywords |
| 20. | Switch or transfer service | Smooth transitions between products, tiers, or providers. |
| 21. | Onboarding | Empower users to get started with a product/service |
An Old Trick in the Book – Organisations Already Use Service Patterns
1. Government (e.g. UK’s Government Digital Service – GDS)
- GDS and departments like DWP or HMRC use service patterns to ensure consistency across services.
- They maintain design systems and service pattern libraries (e.g. “apply for something”, “prove who you are”) to avoid reinventing the wheel.
- Service patterns are embedded in alpha and beta assessments.
2. Large Enterprises
- Enterprises with multiple customer-facing services use service patterns to speed up delivery and reduce risk.
- For example, banks may have reusable service patterns for onboarding, KYC, payments, fraud checks, etc.
- These are often tied to backend systems and security compliance.
3. Startups and Scale-ups
- Startups might use patterns informally: checkout flows, referrals, subscriptions.
- As they scale, codifying service patterns helps maintain cohesion across teams and products.
4. Consultancies and Agencies
- Consultancies use internal service patterns to deliver consistent quality across clients.
- This also helps upskill junior designers faster.
🛠️ Bonus Tip: How to Use These in Practice
- Audit your service: Map existing user journeys and spot overlaps with known patterns.
- Embed them in blueprints: Use service patterns as building blocks in service blueprints.
- Prioritise reuse: When designing, ask: “Has someone solved this already?”
- Share and evolve: Maintain a pattern library as part of your design system or wiki.
I’d love to hear how you use patterns — or where they’ve saved your ass (or didn’t).
Got a better way to spot them? Use them to steer your roadmap?
Drop a comment, shoot me a message, or get in touch if you want to dive into some real-world, battle-tested examples.
Let’s trade notes.
Amogh's Field Manual 