Best-ease

Service jam - 2026

A 48-hour project exploring how conversation and small prompts can help people move from feeling stuck to taking action.

Overview

Problem

People struggle to recognize when they’re stuck and how to move forward.Cognitive overload, ambiguity, and social pressure make it difficult to identify the next step.

Challenge

In 48 hours, we needed to understand a complex, personal problem and design something testable in the real world.

Understand

research

We interviewed people about moments when they felt stuck and how they moved forward. Themes emerged around support, reassurance, and accountability. Progress often came from talking it through with someone else.
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‍Conversation wasn’t just helpful, it was how people made sense of their next step.

Define

Insight

As we synthesized our research, we experienced the same challenge as our users. With too many possible directions, we struggled to define a clear problem. Being stuck is less about lacking answers, and more about not knowing how to process them.

Reframe

How might we help people who feel stuck get one step closer to clarity, with the help of another person?

Build

ideate

We explored how to turn conversation into a structured but flexible interaction.Concepts focused on prompts, shared dialogue, and randomness to guide reflection.

iterate

We translated the DIVE-IN framework into an interactive format. Prompts evolved from static questions into cues that guide real-time conversation.

We created a conversational game using a handheld cube with key words for questions on each side.One person shares what they’re stuck on. The other rolls and guides the conversation.

Evaluate

Testing process

We tested the cube in live conversations, observing how prompts shaped the flow and depth of reflection.

Test insights

Prompts helped structure conversation, but depth depended on how they were interpreted. Stronger outcomes came when prompts were turned into follow-up questions.

Depth depended on how questions were asked and built upon. The structure worked best as a flexible framework.

outcome

Within minutes, people moved from feeling stuck to gaining a small sense of clarity. Even simple interactions helped people articulate what mattered.

Reflect

This project reminded me how uncomfortable but necessary ambiguity is in the design process.Working under a tight timeline forced us to trust our instincts, simplify quickly, and focus on what actually helped people.

What started as a more complex idea became something much simpler, and in many ways, more effective. It was also just a reminder of how much I enjoy collaborating, making sense of messy problems, and building something meaningful with others.