2026 Survey Questions
Main Changes
The 2026 survey introduced a dedicated section on Artificial Intelligence, reflecting its growing influence on the field. We asked about AI usage frequency, valuable tools, and its perceived impact on future roles. We also added questions about career paths (looking 3-5 years ahead) and the focus of service design work (e.g., strategic vs. execution) to better map the evolving identity of the profession.
Demographics & Identity
- Which of the following best reflects your gender identity?
- Do you identify as a member of a minority group?
- If you identify with a minority group and feel comfortable sharing, please specify which group or groups below.
- Which country / region are you currently located in?
- Which city are you located in?
- Do you live in the same city where you work?
- What is your age?
- Do you have a formal / accredited service design degree?
- Please share the name of your service design degree and the institution where you received it.
Professional Profile
- How many years of service design related work experience do you have?
- How many years of professional work experience do you have overall?
- Which of the following best describes your current position?
- Which of the following best describes your current level?
- Which of the following best reflects your job title?
- Which industry do you currently work in?
- How would you describe the focus of your service design work? (New)
Compensation & Benefits
- In which currency will you be providing values for the upcoming questions?
- What is your annual salary in your local currency based on full time employment?
- Did your salary or daily rate increase this year?
- By approximately what percentage did your salary / daily rate increase?
- Did you negotiate your current salary?
- How satisfied are you with your total compensation?
- What type of additional benefits do you have?
- What is the estimated cash value of your additional benefits in your local currency (per year)?
- How many paid vacation days do you get per year?
In-House Context
- How many employees does your company have?
- Which department do you primarily report to?
- Are you leading a team (of designers)?
- Did your team grow or shrink this year?
- How would you rate the overall design maturity of your organisation?
- How well do you feel your organisation understands the value that service design brings?
- How well do you feel your organisation understands the value that your role brings?
- How well do you feel your organisation understands the value that you (as an individual) bring?
- How much impact do you feel you’re making through your work?
- How has your level of influence on the business evolved this year?
- Which percentage of your role is about showing alignment to key business objectives?
- Which percentage of your projects have a clear measurable business outcome attached to them?
- What is the biggest benefit for you of working in-house?
- What’s your #1 struggle or challenge working in-house?
Freelance Focus
- What is your typical daily rate in your local currency?
- How easy or hard was it to find work compared to last year?
- What are your primary sources of finding new clients/projects?
- Which percentage of your current clients are repeat clients?
- How would you describe your typical client relationship?
- For how many days this year did you have freelance contracts?
- How satisfied are you with the predictability and stability of your freelance income?
- What do you find most rewarding about freelancing?
- What is your biggest challenge being a freelancer?
Career Progression & Future
- Did you get a promotion this year?
- Did you get laid off this year?
- Could you tell us more about what happened to you in the context of layoffs?
- Did you switch jobs in the last 12 months?
- Do you plan to switch jobs in the coming 12 months?
- Can you elaborate on your motivation for wanting to switch jobs?
- How confident do you feel about the future of your career?
- How has your level of confidence around your craft evolved this year?
- What do you realistically see as the next step in your career path in the next 3-5 years? (New)
- What skills are you actively developing now?
Artificial Intelligence (New)
- To what extent are you currently using AI tools in your day-to-day work? (New)
- Which AI tools do you find most valuable in your work? (New)
- How do you see the impact of AI on your role in the near future? (New)
Work Habits
- How many hours do you work per week (on average)?
- Which percentage of your work is currently done remotely?
- How connected do you feel to other service design professionals in the field?
- How connected do you feel to our field as a whole?
Closing Thoughts
- What key questions do you hope this years report will answer?
- How can we make the next survey more relevant and useful?
- Can you share how the report has helped you?
- Where did you learn about this survey?
- Is there anything else you would like to share?