On Saturday 5th November 2011 I attended Design Jam Brighton. It was my first time attending an event like this so I didn’t really know what to expect.
From the Design Jam Wiki page it explained that:
“Design Jams are one-or-two-day design sessions, during which people team up to tackle engaging User Experience (UX) challenges.”
And the Design Jam Brighton wiki page had a little more information:
“Attendees will form groups based on the skills they contribute and what they’d like to learn. Teams will then work to answer a design brief unveiled on the day. Teams are self-organising and can work however they like, be that conducting research, sketching, running guerrilla usability tests, creating visual mockups and so on.”
Upon arrival we were given a brief run-through and timetable for the day and then instructed to make our way to a table which would then make up our team. We ended up with roughly 9 teams of 5 so it was a very well attended event (with a waiting list to boot).
Each team was handed the same brief and we had a short amount of time to decide on and prepare our elevator pitch. Once agreed, each team took their turn to present to everyone their chosen idea. The rest of the day was then left to us to design our solution and prepare a presentation for the end of the day.
I don’t want to go into much detail about the brief and solutions because, as from the title of this post suggests, I’d like to concentrate on what to expect and my experience of the event.
It was a breath of fresh air to be handed such a wide open brief with few limitations and financial restrictions. Our team had the opportunity to think openly and freely and this in itself was the essence of the event. An amazing group of mentors were on hand to offer suggestions and advice on moving our projects through tricky terrain and they did so with careful thought and knowledge. Being surrounded by so many like-minded people who all had a desire to design and create was pretty thrilling.
I should mention too that these events are free and are supported by volunteers and this event in particular was hosted by a local digital agency Cogapp.
Getting the most out of the event
As is usually the case, you get out what you put in so be active and have an open mind. Here are some other tips:
- Make the most of the mentors and ask for feedback when you feel you need to.
- Although time is limited, try and find a few minutes to chat to other teams and find out how they work too.
- Take on a task or role in your group that differs from your normal job or skill-set.
- Take photos and video throughout the course of the day.
- Share your ideas, processes and experience.
People who made it happen
Hosts
Cogapp
Mentors
Claire Rowland – @clurr
Ben Bashford – @bashford
Vanessa Harden – @vanessaharden
Greg Hadfield – @GregHadfield
Organisers
Danny Hope – @yandle
Alison Austin – @alicenwondrlnd
Patrick Sansom – @Patrick_Sansom
Gavin Wye – @gavinwye
Cennydd Bowles – @Cennydd
Sponsors
TH_NK
Cogapp
Madgex
University of Brighton
Fancy giving it a try? Keep checking http://www.designjams.org/wiki/Design_Jam_Brighton for the next event in Brighton or follow @designjambri. International events can be found here: http://www.designjams.org/wiki/Main_Page.
Further reading
Flickr http://www.flickr.com/groups/designjambrighton/
Lanyrd http://lanyrd.com/2011/design-jam-brighton