Overview
This course examines the design, deployment, integration, and governance of automated front-of-house service systems. Students analyse self-service kiosks, mobile ordering, queue-management platforms, digital menus, robotic assistance, payment workflows, and service-recovery tools within contemporary service operations.
The course integrates service blueprinting, process mapping, human-computer interaction, accessibility and universal design, identity and payment security, data minimisation, capacity modelling, exception handling, cybersecurity, maintenance, workforce redesign, and operational continuity. Students develop and evaluate service specifications or prototypes, conduct usability testing with diverse user profiles, design escalation and fallback procedures, assess investment and total cost of ownership, and evaluate effects on workers, customers, privacy, safety, and service quality.
Learning Outcomes
- Analyse automated front-of-house service journeys using service blueprints, process maps, and capacity models.
- Evaluate bottlenecks, failure modes, exception-handling requirements, and operational continuity risks across integrated service systems.
- Specify privacy, accessibility, cybersecurity, payment-security, safety, and data-minimisation requirements for automated service environments.
- Design human escalation, fallback, maintenance, and service-recovery procedures for routine and disrupted operations.
- Develop a prototype or service specification that integrates user, operational, technical, and governance requirements.
- Conduct usability testing with diverse user profiles and synthesise findings into evidence-based design improvements.
- Calculate and interpret return on investment, total cost of ownership, and workforce implications for automation initiatives.
- Assess the ethical, social, and service-quality impacts of automated operations and justify appropriate boundaries for human assistance.
Timetable
| Type | Length | Frequency | Period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lecture | 2 hours | Weekly | All semester |
| Lab | 2 hours | Weekly | All semester |
| Tutorial | 1 hour | Fortnightly | All semester |
| Workshop | 2 hours | Fortnightly | All semester |
Assessment Schedule
| Type | Description | Weighting |
|---|---|---|
| Assignment | Service journey map and process analysis | 15.00% |
| Assignment | Requirements specification | 15.00% |
| Test | Systems analysis and governance test | 15.00% |
| Deliverable | Usability testing report | 10.00% |
| Assignment | Incident-response and continuity plan | 10.00% |
| Capstone | Prototype or service specification with ethical impact assessment | 35.00% |
Prerequisites
- Requirement Relevant professional or academic experience in service operations, business systems, information systems, or a related field.
Teaching Staff & Programs
This course is delivered jointly by faculty from the participating programs listed below. In line with the Douchewater Way, the University of Sexology tailors core instruction directly to each cohort's specific discipline — adapting curriculum to program needs rather than forcing students into a one-size-fits-all model. Learn more about our approach at The Douchewater Way.