If you ask me, Furahiday is one of the best days for me here at BRCK. It is a day where everyone gets a hands-on experience with users of the Moja Free WiFi out in the field. This is a learning experience for many of us. This quarter’s aim was to interact with users, commuters, drivers, and touts, know their frustrations, and tell new users about Moja Free WiFi.

Mission

Each team comprised two individuals whose job was to interview commuters, drivers, and touts and also ensure that the devices in the matatus were online.

Conducting user interviews is no easy task; it requires patience and discipline. Seeing people from BRCK interviewing users is a humbling experience.

I have previously learnt that the key to getting good user feedback is approaching the interview in a relaxed manner. This makes the interviewee feel more comfortable relating with you. Creating that rapport allows an easier communication flow with the interviewee.

This particular Furahiday, I partnered up with Jimmy. We had some engaging conversations with the drivers in “Sheng” (Kenyan urban language). Their feedback was enlightening. They shared their pain points and expectations.The experience was eye-opening in a way that I really got to relate to how some people live, appreciate their thoughts, and how they can be so efficient in their daily endeavours.

I met Simon, a driver with a 16-year-old son who is still in high school. Simon was frustrated. He felt like he was not living up to his expectations in terms of providing for his family. He earns a meager salary as a driver and has to work two jobs in order to provide for his family. He knows his son would benefit immensely from being able to do research on school projects if he had internet access, but he is not able to afford that. I couldn’t help but try to figure out ways in which free access of internet, even in public spaces, can help optimize their lives. At the end of the day the question that kept ringing in my head was “What is lacking?” I think that’s a good starting point!

The Big Takeaway

I must admit that I previously did not understand what empathy really was until I got to interact with real users. Sometimes we build services, forgetting that the end user is that “mama mboga” who feels left out by the global economy or that “matatu driver” who feels alienated in the digital world. In other words, we forget about empathy, and that is why, as BRCK, it is our role to make sure that such people are not left out. What better way to do this than have the team out in the field so that they too can understand and know who we are designing for.

And who said just because we are working we can’t have fun? Erik our CEO, whose known to be a pro when it comes to taking great photos, was spotted at a shoe market and he didn’t have a choice but to smile for the camera.

Being my first time to travel to Samburu, I found it quite exciting getting ready for the trip. We left for Kiltamani Primary School with a fellowship of five: Robert, Eduardo, Sheila, Duncan and I. The Kalama Conservancy is about 400 kilometers away from Nairobi therefore the long journey was expected.

Our windows are rolled all the way down. The breeze loosens my hijab and kisses my hair. We are listening to Tracy Chapman with the volume turned up. Every line is a message written just for us and we hum to the tune of the beat. The car sighs,it’s engine tickling with relief. We’ll have sunburn then fevers. We can’t wait to get to Kiltamany.

At Nanyuki, on our way to Kiltamany

We arrive at  the school quite late, but not late enough to set up camp. Edoardo helps Loussa and I with setting up our tents, cool house music plays in the background. As Duncan is telling stories I kick my shoes off and unfold my legs in the bare sand. I see a scorpion and put my shoes back on.

Where the scorpions are

The next day half the team set off to Korr for a day’s refresher training while we trained the new teachers at Kiltamany on how to use the Kio Kit. It was and still is a learning experience.

Lousa teaching the head teacher how to use the Broadcast feature.

After a day’s hard work we gather and tell stories and laugh. Our laughter did not build softly but exploded, filling the smoky air and spilling it out into the dark.

The next morning as we prepare to go home, I can’t help but feel honored to be part of this great experience: to enhance our education system for the better.

The car fills with wind, so pushy and loud my hair whips against my neck and I can’t hear the music anymore. I turn and look at Lousa and she is fast asleep. Edoardo is singing, Robert’s eyes glued to the road and Duncan trying to read a book.