Three one-day “idea labs” were held in April and May of 2017 in Beirut, Amman and Casablanca. The events were organised by Maharat Foundation and DW Akademie as part of their programme Digital Media Viability 2017-2019.

Around a dozen people, chosen from the media scene in each country, attended each event. The idea was that the invitees be a diverse group in which each person could bring an interesting perspective to the question of digital media viability in their home market.
The activities the group was asked to take part in during the day were designed using techniques from the methodology of human-centred design.

In the morning session, the group was split in pairs. In these groups of two, each person interviewed the other about their reaction to the question - “What do your country’s media need to become better businesses?” The results of these interviews were then presented to the entire group and discussed.

In the afternoon session, the invitees were spilt into groups of three or four and each smaller group had to come up with a detailed proposal outlining how they would spend USD$500,000 in two years to help the sustainability of media organisations in their country. These proposals were then presented to entire group and discussed.