Lessons from the Global Service Jam
What Global Service Jam taught me about Creativity, Collaboration, and Celebration
When I first walked into the Global Service Jam, I had no idea what to expect. It promised 48 hours of problem-solving, creativity, and connection, but what I didn’t anticipate was how profoundly it would shape my understanding of collaboration, and the joy of shared creativity. Here’s a glimpse into my experience and the five key lessons I took away from the Jam.
What is a Global Service Jam?
Imagine being thrown into a room with strangers, given a loose theme, and asked to solve a problem through design. The Global Service Jam is a whirlwind of brainstorming, prototyping, and pitching—all within a single weekend. Global Service Jam is an event celebrated simultaneously around the world, which began in 2011. It’s less about creating polished solutions and more about the journey of exploration, collaboration, and some serious fun!
1. Embrace the Unexpected
Your first Jam is like stepping into the unknown. You don’t know the people, the process, or even the final goal. And that’s the magic. Set aside preconceived notions, embrace uncertainty and simply go with the flow. Approach it with a “yes, and” mindset—a cornerstone of design thinking, stay open to ideas, no matter how wild they seem. Once you Jam, you will always find ways to come back to this experience, the next time you Jam, you might choose to volunteer or be a speaker or a coach, but trust me you will have a special place in your heart for your first Jam ever!
2. Trust the Team, Trust the Process
Collaboration is at the heart of a successful Jam. Working with people you have just met on a Friday night could be overwhelming, but the energy in the room will be infectious and in no time you will find yourself truly belong to a team. The format of the jam accounts for a few activities for team building and to keep the energy flowing. There will be moments of chaos, agreements and disagreements, look at the experience with a learning lens and just enjoy the ride.
3. Ideas Are Better When Shared
Innovation thrives in collaboration. Generating ideas will be the most exhilarating part of the Jam. Sitting in a room, bouncing thoughts off each other, and watching as ideas converge and evolve will be magical. Hearing different perspectives and merging them into something cohesive will be your mantra for collective creativity.
4. Experiment, Fail, and Celebrate
The Jam is not about perfect solutions; it’s about experimentation. Prototyping on the fly, testing wild ideas, and even failing spectacularly is all part of the fun. You will work with a lot of sticky notes, lego blocks, chart paper, sharpies, props and some more props. Learn to celebrate every step, even the missteps, because they will push you closer to uncovering insights and refining your teams approach. Remember, creativity isnt about being perfect, it’s about daring to try!
5. The Jam is Just the Beginning
The energy and inspiration from the Jam don’t end with the weekend. It will leave you crave for more and you will end up attending Service Design Drinks, UX meetups, local design events or follow Service Design Network community. Only now, you will see familiar faces! Its a gateway to a community of like minded individuals passionate about solving problems and having fun while at it! For me, I returned the very next year as a mentor for GSJ BLR and the following year as a volunteer!
More Than Just Problem-Solving
Reflecting on my time at the Global Service Jam, I realize it wasn’t about finding perfect solutions to the world’s problems. Instead, it was about discovering how creativity, collaboration, and celebration can inspire us to tackle challenges in new and innovative ways.
If you ever get the chance to participate in a Service Design Jam, don’t hesitate. It will be one of the most memorable days of your life, you will be part of a global movement and make new like minded friends. Surrender to the process, trust your team, and soak in every moment. You might not solve all the world’s problems, but you’ll walk away with a newfound appreciation for the power of design and a heart full of inspiration.