Unicorn emotions post Service Jam ‘17
Sweetbabyjesusthatwasamazingggggg!!!! I’m left with all the feels after my first Service Design Jam and I MUST reflect. I can only think of the word ‘connection’… that’s what I think the Jam’s outcome was. Connection between people and topics. Regardless of background or day job. For my own sanity, I must break it down… What did I just do?
- Fiona, Radina and I did a workshop on Behavioural Personas
We volunteered, as Common Good, to prepare a workshop and facilitate in this year’s Service Jam in Manchester — an event that is part of the Design Festival and sponsored by the Coop. It was brilliantly organised by Kathryn Grace, a wonderful woman, full of drive. My responsibilities here were to:
- Show up at 9am on a Saturday
- Design a 40min workshop about behavioural personas and deliver it 4 times to different participants
- Answer questions about design methods and processes
I came back home after that first Saturday on a high. I had to go for a run.
2. I spoke in a panel discussion about the capabilities Manchester needs in order to design 21st century services
I was lucky enough to sit next to Dan Hill (Head of Arup Digital Studio), Emma Collingridge (Digital by Design Programme Manager, Stockport Council), Emer Coleman (Technology Engagement Lead, Co-op Digital) and Ben Terrett (Design Director, Co-op Group) who was hosting the discussion and talk design, cities and ideas. I read about 3 books in preparation for it and bothered all of my close friends to discuss the topic in advance, to understand it better. It was less stressful than I thought it would be (hyperventilations aside)… probably because everyone was lovely around me. I felt I could decently be part of a conversation about Manchester and human centered design… me! An ex advertiser! Fantastic feeling.
3. I was a facilitator at the Service Jam Day 2
I volunteered to be a facilitator and help attendees respond to an almost self generated brief. They didn’t know the topic or what to expect but my god did they enjoy themselves. I ended up doing the following:
- Wore my unicorn hoodie, always exciting…
- I picked a team to facilitate and helped them through
- Got them to be the first team out of the building
- Shared loads of techniques like the ‘tap me in the shoulder’, how to define users, super quick service mapping, crazy eights, dot voting…etc
- Suggested to role play the service and let them go at it
- The role playing solidified the concept and helped them iron out the details of the service
- Panicked when they picked up and went to a train station to show the role-playing to strangers
- Pretended to be a cat for the sake of the prototype
- Quickly shuffled to the team next to us to get them off their chairs and onto making something — which they did
- Walked around the space to see if I could bother anyone who wasn’t feeling it… only to discover everyone was high on collaboration
- Winning the facilitator-of-the-day award! I got an emoji coin thing! I don’t know how to use it but it’s lovely!
What do I take away from this experience…
As an extrovert with facilitation experience I know I get my energy from people. I know that putting myself and others outside of our comfort zones (as best I can) is an instant bond-maker. Vulnerability (i.e. showing yourself as you are, no masks) creates connection. A service jam is the perfect place for vulnerability. In it, people are welcomed to squeeze rubber chickens, learn by doing and decide whether or not putting a paper bag on their heads is a good idea… or not. It doesn’t matter — but the option is there.
Unlike any other activity in the recent months, I found myself play-making again, no strings attached. My team in particular was designing a solution for commuters who suffer delays — using live data. Complex. This was much more than paper bags and cats. This groups of people had just met and they spent only a couple of hours to design a feasible, viable and desirable system that connects people in and outside a train when a delay occurs. They key is that they spoke to people in the tram, train and bus stops…to get their insights. No real users, no point.
My key takeaway from all of this is that team is everything. I knew that before, but the difference after the Service Jam is that I now want to do explore this locally. Having met awesome humans that live here now, and having spoken to eminencies about this city… I feel the plan is clear. I should figure out:
How might I use what I know (and the spare time I have) to enable unicorn play making towards positive change in Manchester?
Full of feels and purpose, I leave you now. If you want to help me, please get in touch. Thank you everyone involved… I’m very moved.
