A Life in a Day is all about ‘revelatory moments’. Moments that can completely change your view of a condition, in ways you never expected. And often, the more you THINK you already know, the more profound the revelation.
So it is not without irony that, despite over 30 years of creative experience, I’ve had more than a few revelatory moments of my own since joining the team. Here are just a handful…
Day 1 – My first team meeting
I already knew that the experiences we produced were excellent – but the ‘moment’ I joined my first call, I got a glimpse of WHY. Listening to the updates on all the live projects, I was struck by the level of intricacy that goes in to developing these intense, interactive productions. The mental gymnastics required to weave all the elements together and the sheer number of factors to consider along the way, left my head reeling.
I was also impressed by the calibre of the team. The Creative Leads hail from a variety of complementary backgrounds – the worlds of the Health Service, journalism, online gaming, musical composition, event production and theatre. Together with Mark, the Founder, they have developed an extremely robust series of methodologies for gathering, developing and refining our deceptively sophisticated storylines.
Yet, despite being immersed in their craft and following tried and trusted methods, the team are continually open to suggestion and constantly strive to find new ways to elevate our experiences.
If this was only Day 1, I suspected there might be a lot to learn in the days ahead…
Day 2 – My first patient interview
I’d conducted many interviews with patients before, but nothing as intimate as this. In just under an hour, I heard countless stories that changed my view of the condition. But what really surprised me was when the patient themselves realised that this was the first time they’d spoken a particular revelatory thought out loud.
It changed their own perspective of their condition and made them realise how far they had come in their own journey. I understood in that moment, that the format and context of the A Life in a Day interview is itself very special – it provides a safe, independent space where people can express things that they wouldn’t necessarily share with their HCP or even their loved ones. It can be cathartic, while at the same time giving them a voice. Many of our patients are highly active and vocal within their communities, while others may never have had the chance to tell their stories before.
This was wonderful to me – even before we have set about developing the experience, our contributors are already finding the process rewarding in unexpected ways.
Day 7 – My first Pilot debrief
Whenever we Pilot a new experience, we meet the participants to gather their views.
What worked well? What immediate impact did it have? What can we improve?
I knew they’d have found it rewarding, but I didn’t quite expect the level of excitement. One by one, each participant eagerly recounted their ‘aha’ moments. Many aligned with others in the group, while some had taken away their own unique observations. And all could predict precisely where these new insights will help them in the future – both in their understanding of the condition itself and in the tangible ways they will work to improve outcomes.
The act of sharing these points of view added to the collective understanding of the condition and compounded the value of the experience. Just as with the interviews with the patients, the Pilot debrief is a delightfully safe space to share new thoughts and realisations.
Day 32 – My first new Project Kick-off
Before we embark on the development process, we need to agree the purpose. Who will be participating? What will the experience bring to them? And what are we hoping to change or measure?
As soon as we started the discussion, I was struck by the level of partnership and trust between the client team and A Life in a Day. We understand how to grab and hold a participant’s attention for a full 24 hours – particularly when they are going about their normal working day. Having developed nearly 40 different experiences, we can predict when participants will be most engaged and when they’ll be distracted. We know when to pick up the pace and when to allow time for contemplation.
Our clients know they are in expert hands and they trust in our processes. Every bi-weekly check in after this initial kick-off has an efficient forward momentum. Yet another reminder to me that I am part of a well-oiled machine.
Day 123 – and counting…
We have many exciting creative and technological innovations in the works – but those are revelations for another day! In the meantime, I’ll keep enjoying the fact that every day really IS a school day. Or, as any participant of A Life in a Day might tell you: You can learn a LOT in 24 hours.
Andy Bell
Creative Director
A Life in a Day
