48 hours to change the world. Given the state of the world, that seems like an impossible task! :P However, Global Service Jam believes that with the problem inspired by a secret theme, the possibilities of collaboration, and the power of design, people can make a difference, in as little as 48 hours!
While Global Jams initiated and oversees the Global Service Jam, Global Sustainability Jam, and Global GovJam, the local Jams themselves are run by design aficionados, united by “a common passion for growing the field of service design, innovation, and human experience.” So, when this year’s Global Service Jam was announced, as a design aficionado, I naturally put my hand up to help with the Dubai Service Jam.
As one of 124 locations around the world, this year’s Dubai Service Jam took place in the Dubai Design District, attracting almost 30 Jammers, including students, as well as professionals from medicine, technology, academia, startups, and design. As a member of the organizing team for #JamHotDXB, I didn’t partake in the challenge myself, but as facilitator and doodler, I did observe the teams in action, and took away some Jamtastic Insights!
Embrace the Mystery. This is probably one of the key mindsets required for design. As soon as the secret theme was revealed (the word ‘BLUE’ in black text on a yellow background #KeepTheSecret), we saw a room full of confused faces, looking for more information and clarity about what the theme meant. We had to remind the Jammers that it was okay not to have full clarity before you set out on the service design journey — one that requires you to get comfortable with ambiguity, in order to unravel the mystery that is your users’ mind.
Become Curious. You remember when you were a kid, and wouldn’t stop asking your parent why the sky was blue or how the clouds managed to just stay up there? We have an innate curiosity in us as kids, one that gets whittled away as we grow up into ‘mind-your-own-business’ adults. It’s good to stay focused on your own lane, but when you’re designing something for someone else in a different lane, you need to adopt a curious mindset that wonders and asks why do people do the things that they do.
Listen and Observe. It’s not enough to just ask questions of your users — you have to listen to their responses too. Remember that you’re not looking for the answer, but rather to listen to their answer, in terms of what they do say, don’t say, and how they say it. It’s also about observation, in terms of what are your users doing and their body language, which can sometimes reveal unsaid hidden nuggets of insight.
Encourage Diversity of Thought. Just as no two people are alike, neither are their thoughts. Jammers differed on their interpretations of the secret theme, which directions to go from the theme, which users to target, what questions to ask, what service to design, what to prototype, how to prototype, and even which flavor of jam (or jelly) goes best with peanut butter! It’s okay to be different, but rather than stoking the fire of diversity, you have to harness that diversity of thought as your source of inspiration for more cohesively designed solutions.
Raise your anchors and look out for icebergs. Creating is fun — it taps into our inner child that loved to write, draw, and build our own little world of imagination. Investing in your ideas is good, to build them into something viable. However, sometimes we get so anchored to our ideas, that it’s hard to see anything beyond it or the potential problems with it. It helps to take a larger view of our ideas, look out for potential icebergs, and if necessary, raise our anchors, and chart a new course. Remember, it’s not about your idea, but rather about solving the problem.
There is no one right answer, but service design is about the journey of discovering the many possible right answers. It’s alright to have multiple good ideas — some may combine into one big idea, while some may function better as independent ideas. Think individually, think together, have many ideas, build them, and test them out.
Prototype — #DoingNotTalking. It’s not enough to just have good ideas — you have to go beyond just words, and turn them into prototypes to see what they will look like, what they will feel like, and how will your users interact with it. Prototyping also enables you to test them out to see if they’re desirable, feasible, and viable. If the prototype hits that sweet spot of the design trifecta, that might be the idea to pursue and turn into something more tangible for your target audience.
Inspiration is all around you. The 2019 edition of the Dubai Service Jam took place in d3 — the Dubai Design District, the hub for the region’s growing community of creative thinkers. Being in that space for two days, strolling through the grounds, interacting with the various works of art, sparked both questions and ideas for our Jammers, prompting them to think differently. One of the biggest sources of inspiration was our trio of the youngest Jammers — aged 5, 7, and 10, they may not have been the target participant group for the Jam, but they certainly embraced the challenge with curiosity, thinking outside the Blue, prototyped with gusto, and impressed all the grown-up Jammers with their creative ideas.
Adopt a Playful Mindset for a serious goal. The Global Service Jam is not just about using design to solve problems, expanding your breadth of design skills and knowledge, and learning from your fellow Jammers — it’s reminding us of the first time we likely encountered a design process and fell in love with its people-first approach and its playfulness. It’s about reigniting that spark of playfulness that helps us think more creatively, and design better solutions. For me, having fun meant conceptualizing and creating visual representations or doodles of the Jammers’ activities over the two days, to play upon the Jam’s playful mindset.
I would be remiss if I didn’t take a moment to thank Tribal Scale (Jam Venue & Title Sponsor), MCG&CO (Creative Toolbox Sponsor), and Service Design Network & SDN GCC Chapter (Community Sponsor), for all their support with the Dubai Service Jam 2019. Thank you also to all our Dubai Jammers for spending their weekend with us to connect, collaborate, and create some magic! The highlight of the weekend was working with some fantastic people — Hammad Khan, Aquila Khan, and Anthony Harrison — all focused on delivering an amazing experience, THANK YOU! :)