Lights, Camera, Play
Seamless recording, Instant Memories - Service Design for an Iconic Acoustic Music Store
Service Design
3 months
Service Designer
01
What Is It?
Acoustic Music Works is Western Pennsylvania's premier purveyor of high-quality, hand-made acoustic instruments. As a service design consulting team, We proposed a service concept that re-bundles client tasks into a compelling customer experience, fostering value co-creation.
As the service designer, we introduced Lights, Camera, Play: Using a self-service recording booth, visitors can create polished 60-second performance clips. Each session produces a Polaroid memento with a QR code, allowing customers to access and share their recordings online, fostering connections through music and memories. The concept celebrates AMW’s "antique" charm while inviting modern, interactive storytelling.
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Have a Look
03
My Impacts
Balancing diverse stakeholder needs, I used a design thinking approach to align innovation with AMW’s distinctive character—enhancing the experience for both casual visitors and serious collectors, and creating new pathways for customer connection and business growth.
Through multiple rounds of client pitch and feedback, our concept evolved into a service that resonated with the AMW team, with the client expressing strong interest in future implementation.
05
Always Room for Reflections
This project challenged me to step outside my usual comfort zone as a digital-focused product designer and explore service design through a physical and experiential lens. Working beyond the constraints of a screen forced me to think more holistically about how people engage with a space, a brand, and each other. One of the most difficult—and rewarding—aspects was learning how to design for co-created value: instead of delivering a solution, we had to design conditions for meaningful interactions to emerge.
Open-ended conversations and storytelling became unexpectedly powerful tools. These dialogues uncovered insights that even participants weren’t consciously aware of, and synthesizing them helped us build a service that felt personal, relevant, and aligned with the character of the business.
Midway through the project, we realized that our initial proposal—though well-intentioned—missed the mark. It focused too heavily on revenue generation and not enough on the client’s identity and priorities. Rather than seeing this as a setback, we reframed it as an opportunity to listen more deeply and recalibrate our approach. That pivot led to a concept we were genuinely proud of—one that celebrated AMW’s culture while opening new doors for connection.
The experience also deepened my understanding of service design principles like unbundling, dematerializing, and reconfiguring—moving from abstract ideas to real, strategic decisions. Just as important, it showed me the value of collaboration and humility. This project was shaped by a team that respected each other's perspectives and wasn’t afraid to challenge assumptions together.