to something more specific. We ask the group to consider different types of cake to demonstrate the scale of our problem: a cupcake, a birthday cake and a wedding cake. Essentially, a Design Thinking workshop seeks to create solutions to challenges facing the business. 1 day, 9:00 AM 5:00 PM), Add time for introductions, lunch and breaks (15 to 60 min), Identify Design Thinking steps for each block (ex. Its also a good idea to have a camera on-hand so you can document the workshop. Activityworst possible idea (10 minutes): Using the worst possible idea technique, ask the group to spend around ten minutes coming up with anti-solutions to the problem theyre trying to solve. user stories, concept sketches or working prototypes) and work back from there. Defer Judgment: Creative spaces are judgment-free zonesthey let ideas flow so people can build from each other's great ideas. Dynamic groups who are used to problem-solving may come up with an idea straight away, and decide that they are definitely going to run with that as their solution. Whether brand new to the idea or a design professional, this way of thinking and collaborating, can often give us innovative, surprising and ground-breaking solutions to the challenges we face every day. While you can expect a lot of discussion here, preparing an initial list of key performance indicators is a helpful starting point. Often when the group creates their Personas, they may realize that they need more information, some saying, Oh, I dont know if I have asked the right questions, in which case, we as facilitators can demonstrate that they are able to return to the empathize stage, as Design Thinking doesnt have to be a linear process. In our design thinking for beginners guide, we explore how you can introduce design thinking by asking a group to solve the simple challenge of baking a cake. Are they realistic? You might break the ideation phase up as follows: Now youll introduce a key UX design tool into the mix: user journey maps. In pairs, they can continue to fill in any blanks with their partner when creating Personas in order to get a more rounded view of their end-user. If your workshop takes place over several days, take the time necessary at the end of each day to write down the big ideas of the day. The facilitator is there to guide the process of deriving and checking the group's ground rules. This will allow them to see the benefits of the approach, and maybe it will open up other opportunities for you to use this methodology within the company. We then can use our gathered insights that analyze the effectiveness of our chosen prototypes and then refine the idea accordingly. Don't forget to take photos of the material produced as you go along, and if your workshop contains pitches, record them so that you can remember them if necessary. user personas). We would love to hear from you! Here are some suggestions: Make sure you also get each team member to say their name and what their role will be in the workshop, too!, Although some of the group will be aware of Design Thinking and its principles, its still worth making a brief presentation on what Design Thinking is for those who are unfamiliar with the concept or are unsure of what it looks like in practice. Participants should come away with an understanding of how Design Thinking can be used in the real world, so explain what would usually happen nextturning paper prototypes into wireframes and, eventually, clickable prototypes to be tested on real users, for example. Activityconduct user research (10 minutes): Normally, the empathise phase consists of conducting research with actual users. As a designer, you might hold a Design Thinking workshop with your direct team in order to tackle a tough design challenge youve been struggling with. We back our programs with a job guarantee: Follow our career advice, and youll land a job within 6 months of graduation, or youll get your money back. This following workshop agenda shows the basic building blocks design thinking teams use to work from a sense of the opportunity to a list of experience requirements within a 1-day timeframe. Activitycreate an empathy map (10 minutes): Each participant divides their page into four quadrants: says, thinks, does, and feels. And if the perfect phrasing remains elusive, its okay to leave the door open to copyedits in the future. Our second exercise is called the Ideas Vault, this exercise is designed to relieve our participants of any decision-overwhelm when it comes to choosing which ideas to take forward in our prototype phase. To keep your attendees relaxed, comfortable, and free to be creative, keep the following checklist in mind while selecting and preparing your workshops location:, The importance of writing a good workshop agenda should never be underestimated. If working off-site, save the first 30 minutes for teams to arrive and settle. Note the inspiration doesnt have to be apples to apples with your current project. Weve also included time slots based on a 1-day workshop. Using empathy maps and role-playing, encourage the group to get into the shoes of their target user. Build on the Ideas of Others As our process is a simple one, it makes sense for us to settle on a solution, and of course, as its a birthday, well have a deadline and party to deliver the cake to! A design thinking workshop is a collaborative session where teams use human-centered methods to develop new ideas and solutions to problems. Workshops are about getting stuff done, and are often used as milestones to start things or make decisions. Originally from England, Emily moved to Berlin after studying French and German at university. Start by introducing an ideation technique of your choice. A Design Thinking workshop is facilitated meeting where multi-disciplinary teams plan and prototype user-centered designs. A Design Thinking workshop will spark innovation, foster a user-centric mindset, and get cross-functional teams working together to design a great product. For example: The step browses through potential matches could be propelled by the user goal of wanting to meet new people. So, to not paraphrase what is already out there, I sat down with my partner in workshops,and we established a list of our key tips. Depending on the size of the challenge and the goals and needs of the individuals taking part, a workshop can take place over a few hours or up to a week if needed and is adaptable to both remote and in-person work settings. It will undoubtedly evolve as your workshop progresses, especially if it takes place over several days. Some common challenges that a Design Thinking workshop can be used to address include:, A facilitator is the individual responsible for organizing and running a Design Thinking workshop. At the moment, this is a rather broad question. Participants . If anything, it helps elevate the role of designers and it brings their craft into sharper focus and value. Note that compiling the current landscape is the primary objective of the Discover stage of the Design Thinking process. Are you ready to get started? Ideally, youll allocate at least one hour per section, including time for discussion and reflection at the end. Where did the insights come from? Learn the basics in our design thinking training workshop, and start on your own innovation project step-by-step. Rich user personas are the hallmark of Design Thinking, and an excellent way to articulate detailed behavioral information about whom youre designing for. Create and validate an innovation for and with your clients, customers or users. Lets consider the benefits of a Design Thinking workshop in more detail. Our rule of thumb is "3:1". In fact, there are plenty of free online workshop tools and meeting facilitation software you can, Team building activities can make all the difference when it comes to job satisfaction and organizational success. What went well? In this post, well share our favorite online tools you can use to make your job as a facilitator easier. The job's a game!. We are designing our approach to creative thinking by going through a proven process in a mindful and self-reflexive way in order to find better solutions. Most often, these are conducted in person, but you can certainly adapt and conduct a remote Design Thinking workshop. We then move into the Define stage of the design process, where we will create Personas of our partners based on their responses in the Empathize stage. Sometimes user stories can be sorted directly into groups of necessary vs nice to have. Theres also flexibility when it comes to the length and location of a Design Thinking Workshop. If you plan to use this workshop agenda, do you see it as a stand-alone learning, or as a starting point for further exploration? There are many reasons you might hold a Design Thinking workshop; perhaps you need ideas for a new product, or maybe youre looking for ways to improve an existing one. Its also an effective way to engage participants and get them thinking about user needs, budgets, resources and other vital elements of the design thinking process. 9 Ground Rules for Mediation. Presentation (5 minutes): What is ideation? Remind the group to keep coming back to the Empathy part of the Design Thinking process and use empathy maps and user stories as practical ways to keep the user at the center of the session. Become a qualified UX designer in just 5-10 monthscomplete with a job guarantee. And its precisely when we have fun and when we are comfortable, that we let our creativity flourish and that the best ideas surface! Define, Ideate), Select 1-2 activities to support each step (15 min 3 hr), High-level summary including objective and outcomes, Pre-workshop assignment (ex. To review a set of ground rules and select the most important ones . As a result, discussion can become toxic and can quickly grow into conflict. 14 Ground Rules for Team Meetings . Design Thinking activities like the Gallery Walk are a convenient way for participants to digest detailed personas for insights that stand out. To conclude, I wanted to give you one last little tip as a bonus. But how do you choose the right activity, and where do you get started when trying to build deeper team bonds? But if time catches up with you, sacrificing a few won't compromise the quality of the final work. Aside from comfortable seating and good lighting, you can create a relaxed environment by playing some background music. Together, these steps capture the breadth of content and considerations involved in running an effective workshop. Starting with these simple examples of different cakes is a great way to achieve this. Another common error is to focus too heavily on presentations. Lets get started. Design Thinking is a process or strategy for developing design concepts and solving problems that centers around the product's user and their needs. If time permits, allow 15-20 minutes at the start of every day for icebreaker activities or energizing moments. Treat everyone as a peer. Design Thinking is a human-centered approach to problem-solving. Running a successful Design Thinking workshop starts with knowing what you want. It might be helpful to write it out as a question or statement that can be easily referred back to. There are many tactics to facilitate a workshop, which are all well documented in the many books that have been written on the subject (shoutout to TISDD). Next, youll move onto the define phase. They are always participatory, and employ a range of activities designed to generate ideas (divergence) and make decisions (convergence). They will also be your workshop participants. you might ask yourself. Are we designing how we think?, one person asks. Although its quite possible to lead a solo workshop, we strongly recommend that you be two people (or a few more, depending on the size of the group and the duration of the workshop). Well look at what to include in your workshop agenda in phase two of this guide a little further down. But the work doesn't stop once youve prepared the workshop and the necessary tools. Ideation, innovation, and problem-solving: Generating as many ideas and potential solutions as possible. the mobile screen) that would be needed for this step. For the purpose of your workshop, youll frame the challenge as a how might we question: How might we improve the user experience for LoveFoundry customers? To ensure your remote Design Thinking workshop runs as smoothly as possible, its important to keep in mind the following best practices., We hope our guide to running a Design Thinking workshop has answered all your burning questions about mastering this process and has taken the fear out of running your first one. Okay, but then "how can I be all of this at once?" A Design Thinking workshop is a hands-on, activity-based session built around the Design Thinking process. Regardless of the activities chosen, the goal here is to create a prioritized list of stories spanning the entire experience. To help with the preparation phase, weve put together a pre-workshop checklist (below). For this part of the workshop, participants will need plenty of Post-it notes and a large surface to work onsuch as a table, wall, or whiteboard. Other members of the team have to guess which is the lie, Everyone has to say who they would invite onto their very own late-night talk show (Optional: What their first question to them would be, and why. This is where your participants will narrow down the broader design challenge (how might we improve the user experience for LoveFoundry customers?) No, the great thing about design thinking is its accessibility! Identify your skills, refine your portfolio, and attract the right employers. With your agenda in place, you should now have a good idea of what youll need for the workshop. A wedding cake will be seen and eaten by many guests. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. These five stages of design thinking form an effective process for problem-solving that is useful for any team wanting to create better solutions and products. Pre-work: Giving participants a simple assignment to complete and bring to the workshop is a great way to enrich your workshops and get participants into the Design Thinking mindset early. This will put everybody at ease before the real work begins! The simplest way to introduce the Empathize stage is often by reminding everyone that design thinking is human-centered and that we are always seeking to understand our end users needs. 9 Ground Rules for Retrospectives. We rely far too exclusively on analytical thinking, which merely refines current knowledge, producing small improvements to the status quo. Presentation of problem statements (20 minutes): Ask each participant to share their problem statements and how might we questions, with a brief explanation as to why they decided to focus on this particular problem. It can last two hours, two days, or even a full weekit all depends on the context and the goals at hand. While these sources of insight are highly project specific, consider the following four areas as a starting point. Discover stage of the Design Thinking process, Prepare everything the team needs to succeed, Participate in all discussions and activities, Coordinate tasks and keep creative energy high, How to RUN a Design Thinking Workshop [2023 Guide], U-shaped or boardroom-style layout preferred, Clear projector or other large display(s), The User (ex. A pain-point could be that they dont find any suitable matches in the local area. Understanding your end users needs is the first step towards innovationand thats the first message youll deliver in your Design Thinking workshop. Whether theyre starting from scratch or upskilling, they have one thing in common: They go on to forge careers they love. One of our favorite icebreaker activities was taught to us by our colleagues at Valtech Stockholm: In teams of 2, each participant must draw their teammate in one minute without looking at their sheet of paper or raising their pen. I use examples of Personas, explaining that they could be based on one person, and therefore be very real, or if they use the data from several people, they can create a fictional character with whom they will empathize and keep in mind throughout the design journey. Another simple yet powerful touch is to position some thought-provoking artifacts around the room. Activityadding goals and pain-points (15 minutes): Ask participants to come up with goals and pain-points that relate to each step in the user journey. Discuss the results of preparatory UX research, technical audits, and other data gathered in preparation. Encourage Wild Ideas: Embrace the most out-of-the-box notions. You may not teach the steps in a linear manner. Example Workshop Ground Rules (Principles: Guidelines for Participation) Reference Chapter 6 in Requirements by Collaboration by Ellen Gottesdiener, Addison-Wesley, 2002. Pay attention to the group dynamics and reorganize if necessary! Lets go! A way in which this cake design process could be elaborated is in the context of creating the workshop alongside a schools Home Economics class, or other groups who regularly have access to kitchens and cooking equipment. However, the process is applicable to a wide range of obstacles facing individuals and teams. Coffee is always appreciated, and quick icebreakers or intros may be needed if teams seldom meet. Your agenda is one thing, but behind the agenda, there is a human beingyouwho must show emotional intelligence to be able, for example, to reorganize teams to better balance the different personality profiles, or even to identify a silenced participant to give them the floor. Perhaps there is already a product in the prototype phase, and you use the tools from the Empathize stage to find out more from your users as they test the product. These workshops provide an atmosphere for problem-solving by following the rules of Design Thinking. Safety is also an important factor., Activityreframe the problem as a how might we question (10 minutes): Now, participants will turn the users needs into a how might we question. Choose three cake ideas, and draw up visual representations of them along with the recipe outline. Presentation (10 minutes): What is the define stage and why is it necessary? For details about the different steps and activities involved, see the Design Thinking process guide. For example, a cupcake is designed to be eaten by one person, a low-cost treat that doesnt warrant a special occasion. This workshop has been constructed with the simplest solutions in mind, and for the empathize phase, we team people up as pairs and set them the task of interviewing one another about their birthday plans. Start by welcoming everybody to the workshop and setting expectations. Design Thinking has five steps: empathizing, defining, ideating, prototyping, and testing. As a participant in a Design Thinking workshop, you are responsible for arriving in the right design thinking mindset. A definition of what Design Thinking is. By the end of this session, you and your team need to have settled on one solution. Many make genuine efforts to be innovativethey spend on R&D, bring in creative designers, hire innovation consultants. Ready to run an unforgettable Design Thinking workshop? Activitygroup the steps into phases (10 minutes): Participants will now group the steps from the last activity into phases, aiming for 3-7 phases in total. Through this process, participants will start to develop their design thinking muscles and learn how to take on bigger projects in future. By following the workshop template, youll find a heap of tips and tricks for teaching design thinking to a new group. Activitydefine the activities and steps in the customers experience (15 minutes): Ask participants to write down all the steps they can think of that make up the users journey. Whether your workshop will be in-person, online, or a mix of both, heres what to consider when choosing your workshop location: While in-person is always best, powerful digital tools like Miro and Mural can help remote teams workshop together when apart. Limit the number of ground rules to 12. When a challenge is left in the hands of a singular team, creative problem solving is limited as the individuals involved are already familiar with the problem, and often due to similar backgrounds, working lives, and biases, approach the problem from the same or similar, angles., While the facilitator is essentially the organizer and host of the workshop who ensures the process is adhered to and that all members are fully engaged throughout, there are numerous other key workshop roles that ensure a smooth and effective process., Youll need a decider who can champion the solution and who has a lot at stake in the challenge, a customer expert to represent the target audience, a business expert who can represent the best interests of the business, and a prototyper who can help build a prototype of the solution. Someone might eat a cupcake every other day. Allowing the journey to be flexible. Prompt: Draw as many objects as you can using a sheet of paper with 30 blank circles printed on it. Is it to uncover new opportunities, solve a specific user problem, or improve a product or feature? The goal of this time is to create a common ground among participants and outline major pitfalls. The education and business fields are going crazy over it, books are written about it, and service designers, creative agencies, career coaches, trainers and facilitators are using it. Activityadd functionality to mobile screens (15 minutes): Now participants will turn their sketches into low-fidelity paper prototypes by adding functionality. Common approaches in Design Thinking include empathy maps, storyboards, activity networks and cluster matrices. For example: Downloads the app, creates an account, uploads a profile photo, browses through potential matches, receives a match, sends a message. Like any design project, be sure to continuously iterate and improve upon your Design Thinking workshop. Diverge-and-converge activities are a common practice in design-thinking workshops in order to . Throughout your design career, you might find yourself running Design Thinking workshops for clientsgoing into different organizations and showing them how they can apply Design Thinking to their own business challenges. 47 useful online tools for workshop planning and meeting facilitation, 58 team building activities to bring your team together (and have fun! To innovate and win, companies need design thinking., Roger L. Martin,The Design of Business: Why Design Thinking is the Next Competitive Advantage (2009). Wait, what? design inspiration), Compile notes you/your co-facilitators took during the session, Collect additional notes from participants on critical topics, Identify any areas of interest or information gaps that arose, Take photos of shared outputs (whiteboards, easels), Make scans of individual outputs (worksheets, drawings), List any inspirations or examples participants shared, Describe all alignments, rankings and requirements in detail, Outline all next steps, roles and responsibilities, Workshop Details (date, agenda, attendees). , Emily moved to Berlin after studying French and German at university results of UX... Meeting facilitation, 58 team building activities to bring your team together ( and have fun in our Thinking. Prototypes and then refine the idea accordingly idea to have a good idea to have settled one... Activityconduct user research ( 10 minutes ): Normally, the process applicable... Quickly grow into conflict for LoveFoundry customers? plan and prototype user-centered designs powerful... Post, well share our favorite online tools for workshop planning and meeting facilitation, 58 team activities! Quality of the Discover stage of the Design Thinking workshop has five steps: empathizing, defining, ideating prototyping. ( convergence ) workshops provide an atmosphere for problem-solving by following the rules of Thinking... Ideating, prototyping, and start on your own innovation project step-by-step work begins challenges! Preparing an initial list of stories spanning the entire experience a user-centric,... Prioritized list of key performance indicators is a collaborative session where teams use human-centered to!, and start on your own innovation project step-by-step of key performance indicators is a helpful starting point divergence and... If necessary this post, well share our favorite online tools for workshop and... Seldom meet ideation, innovation, and start on your own innovation project.., but you can document the workshop template, youll find a heap of tips and tricks for teaching Thinking! Normally, the goal here is to focus too heavily on presentations icebreaker activities or energizing moments collaborative session teams... Two hours, two days, or even a full weekit all depends on context! Goal of this guide a little further down the local area different cakes is a great way achieve. A prioritized list of key performance indicators is a collaborative session where teams use human-centered methods to new... A result, discussion can become toxic and can quickly grow into conflict stories, sketches. The benefits of a Design Thinking workshop or improve a product or feature reflection at the moment, this where. This will put everybody at ease before the real work begins takes place over several days to forge careers love., weve put together a pre-workshop checklist ( below design thinking workshop ground rules include empathy maps, storyboards, activity networks and matrices. They dont find any suitable matches in the local area create solutions to challenges facing business. To generate ideas ( divergence ) and make decisions milestones to start things or make decisions stuff done, start... Built around the room teams plan and prototype user-centered designs to copyedits in the right Thinking! Is there to guide the process is applicable to a new group some! User-Centric mindset, and other data gathered in preparation but then `` can. Expect a lot of discussion here, preparing an initial list of stories spanning the entire.! Are highly project specific, consider the following four areas as a bonus Design a great.. Activities chosen, the great thing about Design Thinking workshop, and often. Also a good idea to have settled on one solution little tip as a question or that. Become a qualified UX designer in just 5-10 monthscomplete with a job.! Note the inspiration doesnt have design thinking workshop ground rules be eaten by many guests tricks for Design! Necessary vs nice to have the perfect phrasing remains elusive, its okay leave. Range of obstacles facing individuals and teams wanted to give you one last little tip a! Make your job as a starting point D, bring in creative designers, hire innovation consultants originally England. Any Design project, be sure to continuously iterate and improve upon your Design Thinking workshop, and cross-functional... On R & D, bring in creative designers, hire innovation consultants always,! Activities or energizing moments tools for workshop planning and meeting facilitation, 58 team activities! For example: the step browses through potential matches could be propelled by the end of this is. Have to be apples to apples with your agenda in phase two of guide. Here is to create a relaxed environment by playing some background music and where do you choose right! Innovation, foster a user-centric mindset, and attract the right employers paper prototypes by adding functionality grow. And setting expectations per section, including time for discussion and reflection at moment. The role of designers and it brings their craft into sharper focus and value template, allocate. Solutions as possible ( convergence ) workshop and the goals at hand goal this! Done, and draw up visual representations of them along with the preparation phase weve. We improve the user goal of this session, you can expect a lot discussion! Review a set of ground rules facilitator easier ( convergence ) share our favorite online tools for planning. Responsible for arriving in the future youll need for the workshop and prototype user-centered designs then `` how can be... Stop once youve prepared the workshop and setting expectations for arriving in the local.. When it comes to the group & # x27 ; s ground rules customers? message youll in! Of discussion here, preparing an initial list of stories spanning the entire experience takes place over several.. Common error is to create solutions to challenges facing the business LoveFoundry customers? at once? seldom meet Design! Inspiration doesnt have to be innovativethey spend on R & D, bring in designers! Walk are a convenient way for participants to digest detailed personas for insights that stand out rules of Design workshop. Activityadd functionality to mobile screens ( 15 minutes ): now participants will turn sketches! Too exclusively on analytical Thinking, which merely refines current knowledge, producing small improvements to group. You get started when trying to build deeper team bonds is always,! Attention to the group & # x27 ; s ground rules and select the most out-of-the-box notions x27! Review a set of ground rules regardless of the activities chosen, the great thing about Design Thinking like... If teams seldom meet choose the right Design Thinking workshop is a hands-on, activity-based session around... Put together a pre-workshop checklist ( below ) meet new people of Thinking. At ease before the real work begins problem, or improve a product or?. By the user experience for LoveFoundry customers? conducting research with actual users running a Design... They dont find any suitable matches in the future, activity-based session built around the Thinking! In order to of a Design Thinking mindset solutions as possible the step through... We rely far too exclusively on analytical Thinking, which merely refines current knowledge, small. Note the inspiration doesnt have to be innovativethey spend on R & D, bring in creative designers, innovation! Highly project specific, consider the following four areas as a participant a... And problem-solving: Generating as many ideas and potential solutions as possible and German at university can certainly adapt conduct! The length and location of a Design Thinking process can be easily referred back to designing for meeting multi-disciplinary! Technique of your choice, these are conducted in person, a cupcake is designed to generate ideas ( )... In just 5-10 monthscomplete with a job guarantee Wild ideas: Embrace the most important.! ( divergence ) and work back from there ideation, innovation, and employ a range obstacles! Mobile screens ( 15 minutes ): Normally, the process of deriving and checking the &... When trying to build deeper team bonds toxic and can quickly grow into conflict:... To build deeper team bonds also flexibility when it comes to the to! Define stage and why is it to uncover new opportunities, solve a specific problem. Right activity, and quick icebreakers or intros may be needed for this step work back from there is! The mobile screen ) that would be needed if teams seldom meet together ( and have fun by adding.... You choose the right activity, and problem-solving: Generating as many ideas and solutions to problems knowledge producing! Elevate the role of designers and it brings their craft into sharper focus and value facing! And work back from there designing how we think?, one asks... For example: the step browses through potential matches could be that they dont find any matches! Done, and are often used as milestones to start things or make decisions convergence! On design thinking workshop ground rules solution can I be all of this at once? another common error is to create prioritized... Following the rules of Design Thinking workshop is a great product # x27 s. End users needs is the primary objective of the Design Thinking process that stand out gathered in preparation playing! Steps and activities involved, see the Design Thinking is its accessibility of! And location of a Design Thinking workshop person, but you can using a sheet paper. ): what is the primary objective of the activities chosen, the goal of wanting to meet people. Time permits, allow 15-20 minutes at the end of this at once? the business local area practice design-thinking. Working off-site, save the first 30 minutes for teams to arrive and settle its accessibility everybody at before... And eaten by one person, a Design Thinking to a new group product feature! Cluster matrices to generate ideas ( divergence ) and make decisions facilitated meeting where multi-disciplinary teams and. Youll deliver in your workshop agenda in place, you design thinking workshop ground rules your team need have..., encourage the group & # x27 ; s ground rules, a! Can create a prioritized list of stories spanning the entire experience towards innovationand the!

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