Design Thinking Workshop Summary

Overview

• Facilitators: AJ and Smart team
• Duration: Almost 2-hour live training
• Location: Berlin office
• Participants: Nine participants unfamiliar with design thinking
• Resources: Free slide deck and exercise guide (link in comments)
• Goal: Teach design thinking process step by step and provide a glimpse into real-life workshop dynamics

Introduction

• Kickoff: Strong start with introductions, agenda review, and expectation setting
• Icebreaker: "My First Job" exercise, useful for both familiar and unfamiliar teams
  • Materials Needed: Sticky notes
  • Procedure: Write name, first job, and lesson learned from it

Creative Confidence and Creativity

• Engagement: Participants raise hands if they consider themselves creative
• Insight: Many adults equate creativity with artistic ability due to past experiences
• Focus: Building creative confidence, taking risks, and trying new things
• Activity: Draw a portrait of a neighbor in 45 seconds

Design Thinking Process

• Definition: Human-centered, collaborative, creative, iterative, and practical approach to problem solving
• Phases: Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype, Test
  • Empathize: Understand users' needs and frame of mind
  • Define: Clarify problem and user needs
  • Ideate: Generate a wide range of ideas
  • Prototype: Build tangible versions of ideas
  • Test: Evaluate prototypes with users
• Divergent and Convergent Thinking: Generate multiple ideas, then narrow down and refine

Empathy Mapping Exercise

• Purpose: Gain deeper understanding of users (e.g., Kathy, a 67-year-old with arthritis)
• Materials: Empathy map template with quadrants for 'Do, Think, Say, Feel' and additional fields 'Jobs, Pains, Gains'
• Execution: Individual brainstorming followed by group discussion, post-its used for insights

Point of View and How Might We Statements

• Point of View Statement: Reframe user needs into a concise problem to solve
• How Might We Exercise: Transform problems into solvable questions
• Example: "How might we create a tool that will help Kathy complete delicate tasks in a pain-free way?"

Crazy 8s Exercise

• Goal: Generate eight ideas in eight minutes, focusing on quantity over quality
• Procedure: Fold an A4 page to create eight frames, one minute per frame
• Follow-up: Choose best idea, present to group, and refine sketches

Prototyping

• Purpose: Create tangible versions of ideas to test and inspire further development
• Types: Digital prototypes, physical models, ads, sales decks
• Emphasis: Fail early and often to minimize resource waste

Testing

• Simulation: Use oven mitts to simulate arthritic hands
• Procedure: Each group tests another group's prototype
• Feedback: Discuss what worked, what didn’t, and what could be improved

Final Discussion and Takeaways

• Group Reflection: Share key learnings and highlights
• Main Points: Foster creative confidence, detach from ideas, get into creative flow, and importance of introduction

Conclusion

• Wrap-up: Final thoughts, gratitude, and distribution of goodie bags
• Resource Reminder: Check linked resources for further learning
• Invitation: Subscribe to the channel for more content on workshopping and facilitation