Site Visit: JAC Molesworth

Team Spotlight: JAC Molesworth, UK

Last week, my team and I had the incredible opportunity to travel to the Joint Intelligence Operations Center Europe (JIOCEUR) Analytic Center (JAC) in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧. We were there performing discovery for the product we are building. The trip was enlightening in many ways. We developed a profound respect and understanding for the JAC warfighters and recognized the magnitude of the work they accomplish daily amidst significant challenges.

Their goals are clear and their motivations are strong, despite facing numerous obstacles. I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to my dedicated team. Your hard work and commitment are nothing short of inspiring. 🙌 I also want to express my deep gratitude to the JAC teams at IDQ, IDO, and IDM for being excellent hosts. Their candidness in our conversations was invaluable and offered us genuine insights that will shape our approach. They have set a high bar for collaboration and partnership. Thank you! 🌟

On the flight home, I almost finished reading "Recoding America: Why Government is Failing in the Digital Age and How We Can Do Better" by Jennifer Pahlka. Most of the book had me nodding in agreement, recalling my own experiences in the government. One section stood out especially when reflecting on our recent trip: "User Needs, not Government Needs." 🎯

What we were doing at the JAC was developing empathy for the users in order to build a product that genuinely helps them. Our aim is to transcend the bureaucratic confines of policy X, standard Y, and systems 1, 2, and 3 that can stifle innovation and productivity. We strive to "meet users where they are" and treat them with dignity. This means respecting their time, minimizing intrusion, using language they understand, and never making them feel overlooked or inadequate. 🤝

We are fully aware that we're likely not the first team to visit them. Many times, they've hosted people who never returned - no results, no better outcomes. As Genevieve Gaudet, a service designer who presented on Better Foundations at Code for America, insightfully put it: "We can't fix this until we understand that in government, we're not starting a new relationship, we're repairing a deeply broken one."

Let's build trust and mend this relationship as developers with our users, one interaction at a time. ✨

References

For those keen on delving further, I highly recommend these two references. They offer enlightening perspectives on enhancing government through technology. 👩‍💻🌟

• 📘 Book: Recoding America by Jennifer Pahlka
• 🎥 Genevieve Gaudet's Presentation: Better Foundations at Code for America

See the associated LinkedIn post.