Smart Dubai has organised a workshop to introduce and educate government and private organisations to its Smart Happiness Project Evaluation Tool (SHAPE), which was announced last June in collaboration with Professor Jan-Emmanuel De Neve of the University of Oxford.
The workshop addressed various approaches to upgrade services and scientifically quantify and measure their quality. Conducted by Smart Dubai and Professor De Neve, the session engaged the participating entities in the development of the tool itself, in addition to promoting an exchange of ideas and visions for better services. Moreover, the SHAPE tool supports decision-making, allowing entities to adjust projects for maximum longevity and impact, aiming for sustainable long-term happiness in a smart Dubai, while avoiding a focus on short-term gains in happiness.
The delegation included representatives from Dubai’s Department of Economic Development (DED), Dubai Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM), Dubai Municipality, Dubai Culture & Arts Authority, the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), Dubai Police, the Department of Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), and Etisalat.
Her Excellency Aisha Bint Butti Bin Bishr, Director General of the Smart Dubai Office (SDO), said, “Smart Dubai has a vested interest in developing the tools necessary to ensure the best possible customer service across the Emirate of Dubai. With that in mind, we are building integrated systems to continuously upgrade our smart services, which are addressed to the residents and visitors of the emirate.
“The Smart Happiness Project Evaluation Tool (SHAPE) fosters strong collaboration between Smart Dubai and its partners, which, ultimately, serves to achieve the Smart Dubai 2021 Strategy and establish Dubai as the smartest and happiest city on earth.”
The workshop took a closer look at the tool’s objectives and mechanisms, as well as highlighting the main aspects and concepts of the project and presenting case studies, as well as ways to extract information and insights through the tool.
The SHAPE tool allows organisations to upgrade and improve their projects to make them more effective. Furthermore, the tool takes a number of other parameters into account when calculating the outcome of each project. One such variable is adaptation, whereby the tool estimates the speed and extent to which people get used to new projects or improvements to existing ones. Another parameter, moreover, is the challenges of social comparisons, where people’s happiness is dependent on comparing themselves with others.
