Design Workshop Activities

‘Who, What, Where, When, Why and How’ is a method used to obtain a thorough understanding of a problem.

Fishbone diagrams show the causes of a specific event.

Learn through careful observation.

Observation and intuition are critical design tools. This exercise helps you leverage both. Find clues about the context you're designing for that may be hidden in plain sight.

Build empathy by retelling someone's story.

A brainstorming and prioritizing method that places emphasis on the most important ideas and actions.

Understand your users day-to-day. To better design for people, try shadowing them for a day. By observing someone in their own context, you'll notice details about their life - the way they engage with people, pr their routine - that you'd otherwise never see.

A Morphological chart is a method that splits a product/solution into smaller chunks that can then be analyzed and ideated for independently. Afterwards those ideas can be mixed and matched to develop different solutions.

To be used after having a clear overview of the design problem and at the beginning of the ideation phase.

A concept sketch is a fast freehand drawing.

To be used in Ideation phase.

Gain empathy by trying something new.

Imagine a day in the life of a person you're designing for - their morning routine, diet, hobbies, commute, commonly used products, and more.

The story template is a method to help in the exploration or research phase of a project. It is especially useful during shorter processes such as a design sprint or a design jam. It can serve as a substitute for interviews if time/ context does not allow for it and it helps the workshop participants to create data connected to real experiences in their lives.

Understand your users through visual artifacts.

A mood board is a collage of images and texture that communicates a feeling or experience. See what inspires people by asking them to make their very own.

Get fresh and perspective by trying something new and (slightly) scary.

Often, we're designing for behavior change. To find emotional common ground with the people you're designing for, observe how it feels to wade into the unknown, and experience how scary trying something new can be.