A Framework for Smart Servicescape: A Case of Smart Home Service Experience

Abstract

The rapid development of IoT technology has accelerated the growth of smart services. Despite the proliferation of smart services, academic research is still in its early stage particularly in terms of service experience and service design. Concerning a service experience viewpoint, it is essential to consider the context and environment of smart services, namely “smart servicescape,” as this can influence users’ entire experience. Moreover, the smart servicescape will have different characteristics due to the convergence of online and offline connected environments. With this background, this study aimed to propose a framework for the smart servicescape by identifying new dimensions that reflect the characteristics of smart services. Accordingly, an initial analytic framework of service experience blueprint was established on the basis of the conventional servicescape and service blueprinting. Twenty movie clips on smart home services officially produced by ICT corporations were collected, were analyzed through grounded theory, and were classified according to the analytic framework. Through a series of qualitative analysis, the framework structure was improved to make it more suitable for the smart servicescape. Finally, this study proposed a framework for the smart servicescape derived from the smart home service experience blueprint. The values of this framework can be identified in two aspects: (1) by identifying new dimensions to reflect the characteristics of smart services such as Smart device, Datascape, and Connected scape; and (2) by suggesting the structure of the service experience blueprint infused with the perspective of service experience, which consists of service encounters and the servicescape.