O objetivo principal desta tese é identificar a estrutura de pesquisa que tem fundamentado a prática de design de serviço. Os objetivos específicos são: (i) identificar os elementos teóricos específicos de design de serviço; (ii) caracterizar as metodologias adotadas em design de serviço; (iii) identificar as estruturas de pesquisa utilizadas pelos profissionais que trabalham com design de serviço; (iv) identificar termos recorrentes na estruturação de pesquisa; (v) caracterizar as especificidades da pesquisa segundo o senso comum e a pesquisa científica. De maneira geral, a presente pesquisa busca responder: o que caracteriza a estrutura da pesquisa em design de serviço segundo as condutas dos profissionais de consultorias de design de serviço brasileiras? Além de, onde há convergências e divergências entre as estruturas práticas e acadêmicas de pesquisa?

The main objective of this thesis is to identify the research framework that has underpinned service design practice. The specific objectives are: (i) identify the spe- cific theoretical elements of service design; (ii) characterize the methodologies adopted in service design; (iii) identify the research structures used by professionals working with service design; (iv) identify recurring terms in the research structure; (v) characterize the specificities of the research according to common sense and scientific research. This research seeks to answer: what characterizes the structure of service design research according to the conduct of Brazilian service design consultancy professionals? Furthermore, where are there convergences and divergences between practical and academic research structures?

This work presents a theoretical foundation, based on Design Science Re- search (DSR). Therefore, it begins with a systematic review of the literature with strict methodological processes on the historical evolution, concepts, processes and instruments of Service Design (SD). The second chapter focuses on the historical evolution of Service Design, with emphasis on the adaptations that have occurred since the 1980s. The third chapter addresses the conceptual characterizations of SD, distinguishing definitions of concepts. The fourth chapter analyzes the structure of the panoramic service design process, highlighting the research phase for professional practice. Primary techniques include documental research to map gray literature sources and semi-structured interviews to identify practical design elements used by professionals and academics. Finally, the card sorting technique is used to visualize the macrostructure and terminologies of service design research, in order to highlight components and subcomponents used by professionals and professors when structuring research for SD projects, resulting in a set of guidelines for structur- ing research practice in SD.