Wrap-up: GovJam Toronto 2013

It's been difficult for me to start putting into words all the things I learned and all the things we experienced while organizing and participating in GovJam Toronto. Since we wrapped up with our after-party last Thursday, I've done a lot of catching up on sleep. And now that my brain is somewhat rested, maybe I can articulate a few highlights from the event.

Design Thinking IRL*

* In Real Life
I think one of the most valuable things that came out of GovJam was putting design thinking into practice. We didn't have a lot of time to teach all the different components of the design thinking method, but we did try to emphasize empathy (and there was a lot of testing and prototyping and ideating going on, even if people didn't realize it). Good service design starts with understanding the user, and teams did a great job designing prototypes around people. Some went out on the street and tested their concepts with potential users; some called people up and brought them to the Jam to provide their feedback/experiences; some used social media like Twitter to ask questions. We organizers also had a roster of Advisors and Judges who were generous with their time and provided feedback to teams as they developed their prototypes. This helped them get a fresh perspective and build even better designs.

Making connections

When we invited people to participate in the Jam, we reached out to both internal and external networks. It was amazing to see all these worlds come together... I founded an inter-governmental network about a year ago, and it was personally gratifying to see some of the people on that network connect with other public servants who they might never have gotten to know otherwise. I'm sure that being stuck in a room with the same people, working on a common, wicked problem over an intense 48 hour period has forged some new professional relationships and opportunities for Jammers!

Event planning, redefined

I've had experience planning events in some way or another ever since I got into corporate communications more than six years ago. But the most different sort of event I'd planned before GovJam was an unconference. The Jam was a whole new thing all together because there's no template or similar process to follow. Planning a Jam requires a little design thinking in itself. Thankfully, I had colleagues who have a design thinking background to help me out. Nisha was instrumental at helping me sort out a lot of the details. Not too long after we decided to plan the Jam, she participated in a Charrette, and both of us participated in Global Service Jam. With this new perspective, we were able to plan an event that brought the best from both worlds.

Fun!!

There was a lot of pressure on everybody at GovJam Toronto to not only meet deadlines, but create something amazing. I observed a lot of human emotions at the Jam: frustration and epiphanies, annoyance and happiness, and everything else in between. But I think I can confidently say that everybody who spent time at the Jam had fun. This reinforces, to me, that you can have fun and be incredibly productive at the same time. In fact, I think we need to have more fun in the OPS to really unlock our creative potential.

What's next?

We have a lot of post-Jam feedback-gathering, learning, and reflection to do. And I hear Global Sustainability Jam is coming up in November... In the meantime, I'm sure that people who participated at GovJam will bring design thinking techniques they used at the Jam back into their work. And who knows; maybe we'll see a couple of the prototypes go forward in real life :)

What'd you think?

I hope some of you who joined us at GovJam Toronto have some thoughts to share... anything surprising or unusual about the Jam? Anything interesting or frustrating? Leave a comment below!

Author's note: There will be a more formal feedback mechanism (survey, maybe, and/or meeting) sent out to all participants/facilitators at some point.