When we were asked to keep the virtual version .. please?
Having been welcomed to this year’s Global Service Jam as the giant and home of the biggest jams ever, we were at Riyadh planning to do something different this time. Our service jam in 2020, was less about flexing our muscles with how larger we can get the jam, it was rather more about how physical, real and alluring we can make a virtual event.
1. TEASE A BURNING DESIRE: WHAT A SINGLE THING USERS MISS THE MOST?
What could make this virtual event different? What do people miss the most in any virtual experience? It’s the experience of the location … what do locations help people do in a physical experience? Build a mental model of space, how they relate to it and how they related to others in it.
I’m thinking of an illustration of a ville with an aerial view, something like a clash of clans type of games
Having designed a HUEDVille earlier where we built a Ville map that has imaginary houses of all HUED team, it was shocking how the brains of these smart talents, already picked-up on the idea and started to relate to where everyone is and what they are doing .. etc
We decided to offer that on a larger scale for our jammers in Riyadh Service Jam, but not only show them a view of the Ville, but actually help them get inside it, navigate it and above all … miss it. and more importantly keep them hooked, engaged, energized virtually for 3 days in a row ..
You raised the bar for virtual events
We built a jammer’s dream ville with more than 20 landmarks for where they would love to do an event … it included everything they would need, but not only ..
2. ALLURE THE INNER CHILD: WHAT’S ABSOLUTELY NEW AND PAMPERING?
We surely looked at all activities any participant in a service jam would do and covered that ..
We built a studio, working team locations, info-point, and anything that offers a necessary function ..
But the necessary stuff never creates the iconic jaw-drop you are after, you need to tease and entertain the inner child within each of us. What’s new, unexpected and absolutely pleasurable. We built a coffee-shop for those breaks, we built a lounge for your stretching time with multiple activities you can do .. we built a cinema where you watch Tony Fadell speaking amongst other inspirational talks, we built a Zen space with 4K nature videos for your mindfulness moments .. with every interaction and encounter the user’s inner child is connecting with the Ville, they feel more love and bonding for the experience and what it means and offers.
3. HUGS … YOU ACTUALLY THOUGHT OF THIS! : WHAT’S MIND-BLOWING EMPATHY?
We asked ourselves, how can we really help people feel blown away with that experience .. we did so many things in the 20+ landmarks and attractions of the ville, but couple of examples to share:
In the design of experience, the team wanted to help the participating jammers keep their kids entertained in a weekend while they do engage in design research so we built an online playground for kids … funnily, when I was navigating, this is where I found our CEO with his daughter
Also, in serving the experience, the team suggested that we start the event from the amphitheater interior with the presentation on the stage, which gives people the feel of an event then we zoom out and they get surprised seeing the whole Jamville which I see was a brilliant take in serving that experience.
This is totally the next level of a virtual event created in Miro. When the experience is almost physical
During and after the jam, the JamVille concept created a lot of interest and as simple as it’s it solves a big problem in virtual events, using simple tools but creative concepts and stunning visuals.
These were 3 questions you can always ask. But then, you need an awesome team just like those who offered the answers for these questions in designing the JamVille experience and those who made those answers a reality ..
