The goal of the workshop might be to come up with ways to improve the user experience for LoveFoundry customers. 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. A wedding cake will be seen and eaten by many guests. You can divide the journey mapping phase of your Design Thinking workshop into the following activities: Now for the fun part: building prototypes and testing ideas! In the simplest definition, design thinking is a human-centered approach to problem-solving. sales, savings, market share), The Public (ex. 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. Did the team have any feedback for you as the facilitator? Depending on where the project stands within the Design Thinking process, workshops can be used to output anything from early strategic requirements to fully-functional prototypes. What you want are thought starters, not solutions. Well here are our handpicked, Whether it is an internal or external client, its essential to know the project's business context. This email is also your opportunity to assign any relevant pre-work, such as an ask to bring specific design inspirations. Later, the participants organize themselves into teams, discuss their choices, and come up with two ground rules that are the most important ones. Workshops can deliver on one or more of these objectives, depending on how long they run (and how well you prepare). Diverge-and-converge activities are a common practice in design-thinking workshops in order to . Is it to uncover new opportunities, solve a specific user problem, or improve a product or feature? 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. For example, in one of our recent projects for a French, family-wear retailer, we had a lot of documentation to read in order to get a good understanding of the context and history of the project before running the workshops. Ideation, innovation, and problem-solving: Generating as many ideas and potential solutions as possible. Purpose . Technical tangents and These are the people your solutions must serve, and they are a constant source of inspiration. Since its debut in 1969 when Simon Herbert introduced the model in the Science of the Artificial, Design Thinking has revolutionized business models, education systems, processes of innovation, product and service design and human mindsets. In this guide, well explore how to introduce design thinking to beginners with a workshop that uses the analogy of baking a cake. You can also include any good photos you took of the workshop. Where did the insights come from? You can learn about different ideation techniques in this comprehensive guide to ideation in Design Thinking. It is relatively affordable, perhaps a mid-range cost if its for a milestone birthday, or a low-cost supermarket purchase for a low-key, informal celebration. By the end, youll be equipped to guide and support any workshop team to find the innovative solutions they need to address their user and business challenges. A quick recap improves long-term memory and provides a cohesive starting point for future workshops and project onboarding. How will we measure success? And she was right. Consider the following workshop preparation checklist as a guide: Team: Having the right skill sets in the room is key to generating innovative ideas with practical applications. The five phases of Design Thinking are: We're here to help with this collection of simple and effective team building activities! She has spent the last seven years working in tech startups, immersed in the world of UX and design thinking. 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. Rich user personas are the hallmark of Design Thinking, and an excellent way to articulate detailed behavioral information about whom youre designing for. 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. Help participants unpack technical problems and appreciate the current user exprience, constraints and supporting systems. Design thinking is mostly celebrated as a set of step-by-step framework with tools incorporated within each step. If youre running a workshop for a client, you might print display advertising campaigns from three of their biggest competitors, for example. It can last two hours, two days, or even a full weekit all depends on the context and the goals at hand. 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. If we designed our workshop to run over a longer period, the group may wish to explore ideas further, by discovering recipes and cake designs. A prototype is a visual, interactive mock-up of an idea and can be two-dimensional, for example, a drawing or a diagram, or they might take a three-dimensional form. Now that youve got your solution, the team needs to map out each step the user needs to take for it to work., Its time for the team to create low-fidelity prototypes! Your slides should directly reflect your workshop agenda. For example: Getting started, browsing the app, interacting with other users. Sharing relevant inspiration is an effective way to build a collaborative atmosphere while bringing fresh perspectives into workshops. While putting together your workshop agenda, concentrate on deliverables rather than focusing too heavily on creating a prescription for every moment of the day. How did the experience make you feel? For example, a cupcake is designed to be eaten by one person, a low-cost treat that doesnt warrant a special occasion. Build a career you love with 1:1 help from a career specialist who knows the job market in your area! Design thinking is a highly iterative process, where insights from one activity often reframe the original opportunity. Whatever the challenge is that youre hoping to solve with the workshop, have it defined well in advance so that everyone is on the same page from the start. Having gone through the users challenges in the previous exercise, the group is in a better position to go into more detail with the issue itself. signups, completions, reviews), The Brand (ex. Youll find that the participants better control their allotted time and are less frustrated when their time for reflection comes to an end. 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. You can learn all about, Activitycraft a point of view (10 minutes): Based on their empathy maps from the empathise phase, ask participants to create a point of view statement. Theres also flexibility when it comes to the length and location of a Design Thinking Workshop. Do they need to brainstorm new ideas? In this workshop, well ask the group to approach the problem of baking a cake. What goals are we missing? Most workshops last 1-2 days. Whatever the context, be clear on what the workshop should achieve. Ask the group to consider the following: This is also a good opportunity to assess the current user personas the team are using. Lets say we are creating a cake for our friend, and we cant decide what kind of cake to bake or to buy. Youll also need to incorporate an introduction, an ice-breaker activity to get the group warmed up, and sufficient breaks throughout. It's an extremely efficient way of solving pressing product-related issues. First, lets explore the problem at the heart of this workshop design, which is baking a cake! Activityadd functionality to mobile screens (15 minutes): Now participants will turn their sketches into low-fidelity paper prototypes by adding functionality. Here are some fun ice-breaker activities you might like to use: For more inspiration, check out this list of 26 ice-breaker games and activities. 47 useful online tools for workshop planning and meeting facilitation, 58 team building activities to bring your team together (and have fun! This is extremely helpful when it comes to reviewing your workshop, and, if youre running your workshop with clients, photos also make for a great souvenir. In phase one, we went through some general pointers to consider when devising the workshop agenda. Ground rules are monitored by the whole group, for the group. Activityrefining your solution (10 minutes): Incorporating what theyve learned about the user and the feedback they received on their initial ideas, its time for the Design Thinkers to pull everything into one single solution. Given the cross-functional nature of workshops, its often best to bring both executive summaries and raw data to workshops. In the following sections, youll see how the Introduction to Design Thinking workshop explores each stage of the design process through the analogy of baking a cake. 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. 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. By no means just for designers, a Design Thinking workshop is a methodology intended for the whole team and can be applied to numerous areas of business, from sales through to senior management. The key is to deliver interesting, relevant content, followed by a practical exercise and then group discussion. While these sources of insight are highly project specific, consider the following four areas as a starting point. CareerFoundry is an online school for people looking to switch to a rewarding career in tech. When the statements been written, take a moment to have a brief reflection and discussion on what everybody has learned so far. ), How to run the design thinking for beginners workshop, How baking a cake can explain design thinking, A step-by-step guide to planning a workshop, An honest* guide to facilitating hybrid events. Lets imagine youre working for LoveFoundry, an online dating service. These might include: This phase can also include a brief retrospective. 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. Plan a schedule that works even if you have to devote less time to one or more activities (or even cut some out entirely). Provide them with some starter questions, such as: How would you describe your most recent experience with online dating? The introduction should consist of three main parts: Use a fun icebreaker to warm up the team and help them get to know each other a little better. 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. 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. 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. They yearn to come up with a game-changing innovation like Apples iPod, or create an entirely new category like Facebook. If your activity requires it, you can also designate a person in each team who will be responsible for formalizing the group's work on a computer. We then create two teams, ensuring that the chosen Persona profiles are on opposite teams and are designed for one another. We based ourselves on our recent experience: week long workshops to rethink customer experiences, involving up to thirty participants. Each tools has its own strengths (flexibility, integrations) and weaknesses (learning curve, limitations), but all provide a shared canvas and simplify data collection. For this example, well use the worst possible idea technique followed by a simple brainstorm. 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. When running similar workshops, Ive found that contextualizing the data into human characters has helped the participants relate to the users needs. Why do we need to create one, and what steps are involved? On average, spend three hours of preparation for each hour of workshop. 14 Ground Rules for Workshops. 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. Activitydecide on a winning approach (10 minutes): Once the user testing round is complete, stick all design solutions up on the wall. 2. Or align on specific requirements? Create 3D versions of our cake design with card and paper, and layout the ingredients around each prototype. If you only do one thing, be over-prepared! 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. Next, you need to create the optimal space for your workshop. Its important that the group understand the mindset and that they can reflect on real-life scenarios they could apply Design Thinking to. The goal of this time is to generate dozens of relevant user stories for each persona. BE CLEAR: this rule applies to any project, but it is particularly important for a workshop considering the limited allocated time. The goal of the Document step is to ensure all the insights and alignments generated during the workshop can be easily referenced and implemented by others. They can use words or sketches. By learning the design thinking process in parallel with designing a cake, the steps are fun, relatable and easy to digest. Why? If youd like some examples of design thinking in the real world, check this out: 5 Game-Changing Examples of Design Thinking. Design Thinking looks at the customer's perspective from the start to the end of an experience. accessibility, quality of life), The Planet (ex. Its important to encourage all ideas, no matter how big or small, and we will set an anything is possible mindset. However, the process is applicable to a wide range of obstacles facing individuals and teams. If youre conducting a Design Thinking workshop with clients or colleagues from other departments, youll need to get everybody up to speed on what Design Thinking actually is. While originally being a way of guiding design work, it has been adopted by a wide array of professionals. you might ask yourself. This month, were offering 100 partial scholarships worth up to $1,385 off our career-change programs To secure a spot, book your application call today! There are different types of ground rules. Every workshop should have ground rules. 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. Use some of the most effective tools and techniques to design your concepts. Like any design project, be sure to continuously iterate and improve upon your Design Thinking workshop. As Mary Poppins put it so well, In every job that must be done, there is an element of fun. 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. Create a space where everyone can have their voice heard, and where no question is a stupid question. 14 Ground Rules for Team Meetings . In the final stage of the Design Thinking process, we are capturing honest responses and feedback, by inviting our end-user to a glimpse into what the final outcome might look like. Now were going to consider the agenda in more detail, going through all the elements that make up a successful Design Thinking workshop! By the end, youll be ready to take your colleagues (or clients) through the entire Design Thinking process, equipping them with the tools they need to come up with innovative strategies and ideas. Coffee is always appreciated, and quick icebreakers or intros may be needed if teams seldom meet. Discuss the results of preparatory UX research, technical audits, and other data gathered in preparation. But how do you choose the right activity, and where do you get started when trying to build deeper team bonds? Wait, what? So what next? The point of view statement should include a specific user, a need, and an insight. If you end up having the time to do them, they will be incredible team-building moments amongst the participants. to something more specific. In this article, we want to take the fear out of running Design Thinking workshops for those new to the methodology, and give you the knowledge, concrete steps, and tools youll need to run your first Design Thinking workshop, wowing your company or clients in the process. With your objectives in mind, you can begin the planning process. For details about the different steps and activities involved, see the Design Thinking process guide. Well finish this exercise with a selection of ideas to bring through and prototype. No, the great thing about design thinking is its accessibility! Who you are (if youre conducting a workshop with a client). You might break the ideation phase up as follows: Now youll introduce a key UX design tool into the mix: user journey maps. They are always participatory, and employ a range of activities designed to generate ideas (divergence) and make decisions (convergence). However, knowing all these tools and framework is like having a car without a driver's license. Start by welcoming everybody to the workshop and setting expectations. Okay, but then "how can I be all of this at once?" We then can use our gathered insights that analyze the effectiveness of our chosen prototypes and then refine the idea accordingly. Design Thinking activities, such as empathy maps and user stories are a convenient way for organizing detailed user research. 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. For future workshops and project onboarding ourselves on our recent experience: week long to! Workshops in order to a human-centered approach to problem-solving a selection of ideas bring. 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