The Jam

I participated in the Global Service Jam 2024 in Berlin and 2025 in London, a global 48‑hour hackathon-style event where people from all kinds of backgrounds come together to explore service design. As the organizers put it:“Imagine a Jam session in music. You come together, bringing your instruments, your skills, your open mind. Someone sets up a theme, and you start to Jam around it. You don't overanalyse it, you don't discuss it to death, you Jam. You bounce your ideas off other people, and play around with what comes back.”My first Jam was also my first full design sprint, an intense and very fun introduction to working through the entire Double Diamond in an extremely short timeframe (exciting!). Each year, I worked in a team of about six designers of various backgrounds, alongside ten groups and a dozen coaches who supported the process. Our deliverables included personas, a service pitch, prototypes, and a demonstration.Below is an overview of the process we followed in both years.

Design Challenge

2024: Utilize unused municipal spaces and properties to create places that foster community.2025: Strengthen people’s trust and confidence in safe investment and saving through a public sector service.

User Research

Discover

Time to get some answers!We kicked off by defining our problem area and forming an initial assumption. Based on that assumption, we created a research template outlining the things we needed to learn more about. From the template, we drafted interview questions and key topics to discuss.We then went out to find users who could help us fill in the gaps. Then we hit the streets for a one‑hour research sprint and talked to as many people as possible. Anyone who seemed relaxed, approachable, and willing to spare a few minutes. We interviewed people on the street, store managers, café staff, and restaurant workers of all ages to gather a broad and diverse set of insights.

Develop

With a clear a direction, we jumped into brainstorming. We clustered similar ideas through affinity mapping and voted on the concepts worth taking further. Throughout the process, coaches dropped in to guide us, and several experts stopped by to challenge our thinking and share quick talks on relevant parts of the design process.

Testing & Feedback

For user testing, we headed back out onto the streets to talk to people, show them our prototype, and gather their reactions. The service jam organizers hosted an “Idea Bazaar,” where every team created a small expo‑style booth so we could walk around, test and gather feedback on the designs. Coaches, organizers, and fellow jammers toured the space too, giving us even more perspectives.

Iteration

Back at our table, we dug into all the feedback and started iterating. Some ideas needed more work because people didn’t fully understand them or didn’t see the value. A few concepts had to be cut entirely, and we had some lively debates about which darlings to kill as we shaped the final concept for the demonstration.

Deliver

Each team presented their results to the jam in a 10-minute role-play demonstration.

Your Splash Fund (2025)

Overview

Splash is a proactive financial‑wellbeing service concept. It explores how government‑held data could be used to support people during key life transitions, helping them build financial resilience and invest in a better quality of life.Our guiding question was: How might we empower people to financially invest for a better quality of life?

User Research

Our primary users are adults navigating major financial transitions. For example, starting a first job, experiencing income changes, or planning long‑term goals. These users may have limited financial knowledge, low confidence, or inconsistent income, but they still aspire to build a stable and fulfilling future.We found that people need:

Proactive Support at Key Life Moments

Splash aims to act less like a tool and more like a mentor. Someone who checks in, explains what’s happening, and helps users feel in control.The service activates whenever a significant change in a person’s financial situation is detected through existing government data, such as starting a new job, changing tax codes, or experiencing a drop in income. Instead of waiting for users to seek help, Splash initiates contact with timely, personalised guidance. It explains what the change means, why it matters, and what steps might be helpful. This ensures that support arrives exactly when people need it, when they don’t know what to ask for.

Rosie Spaces (2024)

Bringing Unused Public Spaces Back to Life

Rosie is a public‑sector service designed to connect unused municipal buildings with people who need space, whether for community activities, creative projects, meetings, or local initiatives. The goal is simple: repurpose public spaces in a way that strengthens community, builds shared knowledge, boosts social cohesion, and contributes to both safety and environmental well‑being.

Easy Matching Between People and Places

Users can browse the app or website to find available spaces, explore their features, and match them with their needs. For users, it becomes effortless to discover a suitable place. For the municipality, it’s a way to activate dormant resources and support a more connected, vibrant community.