WHAT'S NEW

COMMUNICATION CONCEPT FOR SHARING RESEARCH PROJECTS

Today we joined the global forum of Stockholm Environment Institute, SEI, and shared our idea on how to better communicate a research process while it is ongoing, focusing on what happens and why, instead of the final outcome. Enabling project partners and stakeholders to listen to the different voices within our projects, building on empathy. The research community of SEI came with great input on what needs to be in place internally in order to benefit from this concept and what value a concept like this would create! We are happy to be co-creating improved research processes and knowledge with this great team of professionals, Fiona Lambe and Ylva Ran in collaboration with our Karin Lycke and Jenny Annebäck.

#servicedesign #research #bettertogether #stockholmenvironmentinstitute #seiforum #expeditionmondial #communication

IN A SJ UNIFORM FOR A DAY!

We are continuing our collaboration with the train operating company SJ, now focusing on the experience of boarding the train. But to be able to work and research on board the SJ trains our Susanne Ringström and Susanna Nissar had to try out gorgeous uniforms to wear. Happy and excited to work together with the excellent service minded SJ staff!

WHAT CAN IMPROV TECHNIQUES BRING TO DESIGN WORK?

Last week we had the opportunity to explore improvisational theatre techniques in design work together with the amazing master students at the Business & Design program at the University of Gothenburg. Together we dared, tried out and discussed how improv techniques can help us create better teams and spark the co-creation flow in our work. Opening up our minds and bodies for playful exploration and collaboration. We will definitely continue exploring this improv journey in our work! Let us know if you're also curious or have something to share!

THE NEW GIG ECONOMY AND ITS IMPLICATION ON WORK LIFE IN THE FUTURE!

More and more people are today working as freelancing professionals, being self-employed or using a combination of those and a regular employment. However, our work life structures or social systems are not yet adjusted to this but build around traditional employments and organisations. Our Fredrik Bergfalk and Susanna Nissar have together with the Swedish trade union Unionen explored what kind of needs and challenges employees/entrepreneurs in the so called new gig economy have of safety, assurance and development and how you as a small scale entrepreneur want to affect your work situation and what role a trade union could have in that. Exciting and very much relevant for the future!

A big thank you to all who have been part of the research, for sharing your thoughts and reflection with us. For contributing with ideas on how we together can solve the challenging aspects of not having a traditional employment. We believe something great will come out of this, so stay tuned.

IMPROVEMENT ON PARTS OF THE NEW X2000 EXPERIENCE!

In the end of last year we collaborated with the market-leading train operating company, SJ, to develop and improve the customer experience of one the concept offered on board the trains. Together with a great team of employees from the departments of Customer Experience and Customer Offers we deep dived into the concept by interviewing travelers from all over Sweden. All team members performed in-depth interviews on their own and together we analyzed the data and defined customer insights and principles for how the concept can be further developed, based on the traveler's needs. Today, SJ are using these insights as foundation in their on-going work with developing and renovating their X2000 trains!

A CO-DESIGNED GAME WORKSHOP IN KENYA

Together with Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) and former students of the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture & Technology (JKUAT) in Kenya, we co-designed a game workshop to help us deepen our understanding on how household decisions are made in changing circumstances. The game workshop was part of a two week intensive field research and enabled us to expand our understanding further. With Swahili as main language the ex-students facilitated the workshop and functioned as cultural interpreters: "At first I didn’t think we would get anything new out of the game workshop. But because it required interaction based on scenarios that the participants could relate to their own daily lives, we could capture real life experiences beyond preset interview questions" (workshop facilitator). Working together and making use of our different perspectives and skills from academic research and service design is a joint effort that challenges us and helps us develop. With this multidisciplinary collaboration we intend to address people on a policy level to create a sustainable positive change on household level for people living in peri-urban areas in Kenya. Do you want to know more? The project has just started and we are happy to share more with you, so drop us a line!

DESIGN THINKING INTRO COURSE AT OPENLAB, STOCKHOLM

We have had the great pleasure of leading a Design Thinking intro course for professionals at Openlab in Stockholm. The participants explored and shared with us many innovative ideas on how to improve the experience of public transportation.

During two morning sessions the participants teamed up in groups and worked through all the steps of the Design Thinking process with the challenge of How to enable a better social interaction in the public transport? Ideas that came out from the interviews with travelers in Stockholm were examples such as animated light flows that helps travelers to leave room for people getting of the metro to avoid unnecessary irritation among them, or creating different theme carriages that enables people to travel while eg. listening to storytelling or playing games.

In the end of the day, the participants had experienced and learned the process of creating concrete ideas from real human needs - enabling them to create even more value in their role in their organisation! Well done everyone!

Curious about the course? Want to join next one? Read more here: http://openlabsthlm.se/professional-courses