Now that you understand how Design Thinking became an important tool in identifying problems to be solved and uncovering possible solutions, you are likely ready to use the methodology in strategy development. While some might associate Design Thinking workshops primarily with user experience (UX) design in software projects, these workshops are now also commonly used to define the full scope of the business solutions to be provided in comprehensive software and AI development projects. Your role in a Design Thinking workshop might include leading, sponsoring, or simply taking part in the workshop.
This chapter covers preparing for a Design Thinking workshop. We suggest how you might describe this workshop to others and provide a sample agenda. We also help you understand the key roles of individuals that should be present during a workshop, their responsibilities, some best practices when gathering the right participants, and initial rules and guidelines that should be conveyed to all.
Next, we provide some guidance particularly useful to facilitators of these workshops, including suggestions on possible prework research using a couple of popular formats that capture the state of the business. We also describe gathering intelligence about what could be top of mind in attendees and share our observations regarding current areas of solutioning focus across a broad set of industries. Finally, we provide a description of facility considerations and the supplies that should be gathered in preparation for a workshop.
Conveying what the workshop is about
Roles and responsibilities
Coordination prior to the workshop
Facilitation and independent research
Top-of-mind industry topics
Workshop facility and supplies
Summary
Conveying What the Workshop Is About
A diverse group of business and technology stakeholders and potential users of software and AI solutions are brought together in a Design Thinking workshop to define and prioritize the challenges that they face and collaborate in an innovative fashion to determine possible solutions to those challenges. They share a common goal of driving significant business impact. A Design Thinking workshop typically takes place over a period of one or two days.
The workshop sometimes leads to or is dovetailed with a technology architectural design session. Greater technical detail is gathered in this subsequent technology architectural design session leading to more clarity regarding what the potential solution might look like and who will need to take part in building it.
Creates alignment by gathering a diverse team that breaks down silos in an organization and unifies exploration of problems and solutions
Provides a highly interactive experience that assures engagement of all interested parties present
Leads to new insight by collaboratively looking at problems, solutions, and potential impacts at a deeper level from many diverse points of view
For all engaged, creates a feeling of ownership of the problems and solutions that are identified in the workshop (each person develops a vested interest in addressing what is uncovered)
- 1.
Introductions and logistics
- 2.
An introduction to Design Thinking
- 3.
Establishing diverse teams for the workshop
- 4.
A discussion/determination of the most important goal(s) of the organization
- 5.
Creating a unified vision around the goal(s)
- 6.
Choosing scope(s) to address the goal(s)
- 7.
Creating a stakeholder map and describing personas of select stakeholders
- 8.
Denoting positives, negatives, and opportunities for identified scope(s) and stakeholders
- 9.
Transitioning to ideation through a “how might we” statement
- 10.
Using a creative matrix to identify possible solutions
- 11.
Placing solutions on a value-effort chart
- 12.
Creating a storyboard/visualization
- 13.
Further solution evaluation
- 14.
Road map of next steps
We will dig deeper into these topics in subsequent chapters with guidance on how to participate in and facilitate these exercises.
Regardless of whether the facilitator provides an agenda, it should be made clear to all potential attendees that they need to be physically present to take part in the session.
In our experience, we have had attendees decide to not be physically present in the workshop at the last minute. They typically ask for remote conferencing into the workshop, but when they observe the interactive nature of it, it soon becomes apparent to them that they needed to be physically present. They generally then decide to drop off the call and await the results of the workshop.
Roles and Responsibilities
Regardless of your role in the workshop, you can help to improve its outcome by helping to assure that a diverse group of participants are present from the organization. These include leadership and other participants from the lines of business, technologists, and support groups. In some situations, it can make sense for people external to the company to be present such as suppliers, distributors, or key customers. During the workshop itself, individuals serving in key roles of facilitator, proctor, and scribe will also be present.
Participants from the lines of business should have a specific business goal or goals in mind. A key executive sponsor or sponsors must be present during the workshop to share their vision and to also ensure that they will be fully brought into the solution(s) after the workshop ends. The sponsor(s) also have a key role in identifying users and external individuals closest to the problem(s) and can help ensure their participation.
Users and external individuals can provide a unique “frontline” perspective regarding the challenges being faced. As a result, they can be extremely important in also defining the kind(s) of solutions that might be most effective.
Technologists might come from the company that will use the solution, a consulting partner, and/or the vendor providing key software components. Examples of technologists who might participate include software developers, data scientists, data management systems architects and administrators, and IT infrastructure leaders. They should be present to answer technical questions during or after the workshop but should not be allowed to make recommendations unless specifically asked. During the workshop, their time is best spent focused on deep discovery with business executives and users to understand their needs and constraints, as well as the impacts and value of potential solutions.
Diverse roles typically present in Design Thinking workshops
The workshop facilitator should be extremely familiar with best practices in Design Thinking. Within exceptionally large companies, there are sometimes individuals with such skills in their job descriptions. More commonly, these individuals are found within consulting organizations or certain software and cloud-based solutions vendors.
During the workshop, the facilitator has several important responsibilities in addition to reminding attendees of rules agreed upon prior to the workshop (see the next section in this chapter). Throughout the workshop, they coach individuals and teams through exercises aligned to the Double Diamond technique, helping them maintain focus on the tasks at hand. Experienced facilitators encourage the participants to fully explore options at each step while helping them get outside of their comfort zones in order to uncover critical information. They seek to spark curiosity and mediate discussions whenever necessary. The facilitator also manages time throughout the day, looks for signs of disengagement by individuals, and tries to assure clarity of ideas and outcomes during each exercise.
Proctors can assist the main facilitator by providing guidance to teams as they execute the exercises. The proctors might be less experienced than the main facilitator and sometimes use the proctoring role to learn how to better facilitate future engagements that they will conduct. Proctors are especially useful when there are many teams and/or the teams are exploring diverse problems and solutions.
Scribes are recommended in order to collect core analog content during the workshop. This can include note-taking during discussions and capturing content on whiteboards and easels by taking photos. At the end of the workshop, the scribe(s) work with the facilitator on assembling a package of the content that was generated and distribute the workshop content to the participants.
Coordination Prior to the Workshop
Prior to the workshop, the facilitator works with key sponsor(s) on identifying goals for the workshop and ensuring that the right participants are invited. The facilitator might also perform some independent research on the company’s likely goals (as described in the next section of this chapter) and research the participants that are invited if they are unfamiliar with them.
Define workshop value and outcomes
Set guidelines and rules for the workshop
Confirm the right participants will be present
Ask for additional information
Define Workshop Value and Outcomes
The client may not be in full agreement that they need to disrupt normal work activities for several people for one to two days so that they can take part in a Design Thinking workshop. They might need additional information to better understand the workshop’s goal, key activities, and expected output.
Identification of a “north star” vision of where to focus improvements in the business
Understanding problems within the business that are inhibiting success
Defining how to measure success
Empathizing with stakeholders who empower or hinder success
Aligning teams to co-create/innovate ideas that drive needed outcomes
Prioritizing the most impactful ideas into concepts that can be realized
Defining the business impact and benefit and visualizing the solution(s)
A clear agreed-upon vision of the future
An understanding of the risk in maintaining the status quo
Alignment regarding clearly defined success criteria
Documented business and technical challenges from various perspectives
Documented views of key stakeholders that impact solutions success
Solution ideas to problems that are prioritized based on business impact and technical implementation efforts needed
An action plan to move solution idea(s) forward with clear ownership, timelines, and next steps
Set Guidelines and Rules for the Workshop
Bring an open mindset to the workshop.
Be physically present during the workshop.
Laptops will be turned off and other mobile devices put away (if these are not being used for note-taking) as no email or texting unrelated to the workshop should be exchanged when it takes place.
Exercises will be timed to keep the workshop on track.
Any discussions determined out of scope during the workshop will be noted and deferred to an appropriate time.
These guidelines and rules are sometimes repeated in an email to all participants prior to the workshop date. As we mentioned earlier in this chapter, they are also typically repeated by the facilitator at the start of the workshop.
Confirm the Right Participants Will Be Present
Having an adequate number of individuals with a diversity of business backgrounds representing various goals and perceived problems in the organization will be critical. This diversity is key to driving innovative and comprehensive discussions in each of the teams created in the workshop. Key technology implementation participants should also be present to validate the feasibility of potential solutions from a technical perspective.
VPs of manufacturing and transportation/logistics (sponsors)
Managers of operations
CFO
Supply chain business analysts and data scientists
Representatives from suppliers and distributors
CIO
IT supply chain management system software developers and managers
Workshop facilitator
Workshop proctor(s)
Workshop scribe(s)
Ask for Additional Information
Areas that the client wants to focus upon, possibly including the biggest challenges motivating executives
Workshop outcomes desired by the executive sponsor
A list of primary stakeholders impacted by the defined areas of focus including their ability to attend the workshop, their areas of interest, and their incentives
Their “service blueprint” that provides a customer/support/operational view of their organization (and its relationship to their areas of focus)
Any history they have with previous Design Thinking workshops or similar workshops and possible barriers to success
The state of data associated with their areas of focus including completeness and quality
General business challenges
Topics, technologies, and areas of the business to avoid during the workshop
Facilitation and Independent Research
If you are a facilitator and are looking for areas of potential innovation to explore in a Design Thinking workshop, you will certainly start with goals brought forth by the sponsor(s) of the workshop. However, doing research on your own can be beneficial and is especially useful in driving out-of-the-box thinking among attendees.
You might start your research by reviewing recent mission statements, financial statements, and public presentations by the company or organization. There can sometimes be a disconnect between goals expressed by very senior leadership and the people you are talking with, so such research can shed light on potentially more far-reaching goals and current problems. You might also interview a broader group of individuals within the company or organization and seek candid suggestions and feedback.
Sometimes, it can be useful to research the backgrounds of the key proposed attendees by using tools such as LinkedIn or company/organization website profiles. Understanding the backgrounds of these individuals, including previous roles in driving innovative solutions, can help you understand the potential dynamics that will occur in a workshop.
It is worth noting that top-of-mind senior executive goals might also be driven by what leadership thinks their competition is up to and the perceived threats that competitors might soon present. These might include investments being made by competition in new and non-traditional business areas that could eventually lead the company to become a niche player. Focus your research on competitors’ senior executive and leadership views published in news articles, annual reports and financial statements, and presentations at conferences. Through these, you can gain insight into new initiatives and potential risks that the competition sees in its business.
Political factors such as organizational power structure, policies, stability of leadership and organization, existing agreements among different entities, and willingness to take risk and invest
Economic factors such as market health, purchasing power of their clients, material costs, transportation and labor costs, amount of debt, rates of inflation and interest, and employment rates
Social factors such as changing demographics, diversity of workers and clients, societal values, available skills and levels of education, and attitudes toward technology and data privacy
Technological factors such as the diversity of data, quality of data, proliferation of data sources, flexibility and integration capabilities of existing systems and equipment, availability of artificial intelligence and machine learning compute resources, and rates of innovation present in similar competing companies and organizations
Environmental factors such as energy utilization and availability, other raw material and natural resource considerations, impact on pollution and climate change, and ability to withstand extreme weather and other natural conditions and events
Legal factors including local, national, and international laws and regulations, contracts, taxation, and liability implications
Another way of looking at an organization is by utilizing a business model canvas, first proposed by Alexander Osterwalder early in this century. Several variations of the business model canvas can be found on a variety of websites and publications (see the Appendix for references containing some examples). The business model canvas can be useful as we approach and begin the workshop and might also be used at the conclusion of the workshop when we have defined a solution.
Value propositions that define what is being delivered as products or services to customers, clients, and/or constituents
Customer/client/constituent segments that describe who products or services are being created for and which of the segments are targeted as being most important
Customer/client/constituent relationships that describe current and desired relationships
Channels that describe how the various segments are reached
Key activities that describe how value propositions are delivered to the segments
Key resources that describe what is needed to deliver the value propositions
Key partners that describe suppliers, distributors, and others outside of the company or organization needed to deliver the value propositions
Cost structure describing the most significant cost items needed to deliver the value propositions and/or respond to threats or potential changes in the future
Revenue streams describing revenue (or monetary value) produced by the delivered value propositions and pressures that could change the revenue figures
Value propositions – Provider of automated manufacturing equipment (requiring fewer operators and enabling improved volume and quality of manufactured goods) and ongoing timely maintenance of such equipment
Customers – Manufacturers who use such equipment within specific industries to produce goods (e.g., automotive manufacturers)
Relationships – Key roles within customers including individuals engaged in manufacturing quality control of goods produced, operational excellence, and production
Channels – Direct and indirect sales, delivery, and support organizations
Key activities – Research and development of new automated capabilities and robotics, monitoring and predictive analysis of potential equipment failure, and just-in-time dispatching of service personnel and spare parts
Key resources – Skilled individuals to deliver the key activities and adequate inventories of parts
Key partners – Suppliers, distributors, and service personnel from third parties
Cost structure – Costs of labor, inventory, sales, marketing, and transportation as well as additional costs incurred if expectations were not met
Revenue streams – Obtained from equipment sold, warranties sold, and additional services sold
A word of caution is necessary here, however. Any amount of research that you do before the workshop takes place could cause bias. What you think should be important to the company might not be all that important to key sponsors and other participants in the workshop. You should be prepared to throw away some of your pre-workshop knowledge if the discussion heads in an entirely different direction and/or some of your research is proven to be irrelevant.
Top-of-Mind Industry Topics
We will next look at some of the topics that we have seen are top of mind in a select group of industries today, especially those that often drive software development and AI projects. The industries we will describe here include agribusiness, construction and mining, education and research, finance (banking and portfolio management, insurance), healthcare (payers, providers, and senior living), hospitality, legal firms and professional services, manufacturing (consumer packaged goods, equipment, and vehicles), media and entertainment, oil and gas, pharmaceuticals and medical devices, property management, retail, telecommunications, transportation, and utilities.
You might use some of the following areas of focus present in similar organizations to broaden conversations at the outset of a workshop, especially if the organization that you are working with has unclear goals. You might begin with the observation that “other companies in this industry have said that the following are top of mind” to get creative juices flowing.
Agribusiness
Improving production, quality, and yield including optimized planting, growing, and harvesting of crops and care of livestock
Minimizing usage of pesticides and/or antibiotics and/or other natural resources such as water
Supply chain optimization including just-in-time (JIT) delivery of harvested crops and livestock minimizing storage and associated costs and improving quality and time to market
Improving partnerships between growers, livestock owners, suppliers, and processors
Improving sales and marketing with delivery of the right products to market at the right time, improving revenue, and reducing surplus
Construction and Mining
Ensuring safety to meet regulations and reducing the need for worker compensation payouts
Providing optimal crew scheduling and required training
Optimizing resource planning and utilization of equipment and parts minimizing downtime
Improving quality of work and on-time delivery of milestones and projects
Improving win rates and profitability through more accurate bidding for new jobs
Education and Research
Improving academic performance of students
Measuring and improving the impact of faculty
Optimizing the determination of ideal student candidates for admissions
Measuring utilization of facilities and optimizing their usage and maintenance
Shortening time to research results and improving research effectiveness and reputation of the organization
Improving alumni participation and financial support
Finance – Banking and Portfolio Management
Improving customer uptake of products and services across multiple financial offerings
Understanding and increasing customer interactions and information sharing across devices and physical locations
Optimizing staffing and physical locations (such as branch bank locations and locations of ATMs)
Reducing exposure to risk and determining illicit activities faster
Optimizing performance of financial assets
Finance – Insurance
Providing faster payment of legitimate claims to their best customers
Detecting fraudulent claims sooner
More accurately pricing offerings based on risk profiles and property utilization and location
Providing better and faster services through customers’ mobile devices (including leveraging images captured by clients on their devices)
Enabling entry into new business areas such as consulting and specialty products
Healthcare Payers
Optimizing quality of care with partner healthcare providers to minimize costs of treatments and improve outcomes
More accurately predicting cost of care for insured groups
Providing faster payment of legitimate claims
Detecting fraudulent claims sooner
Improving services available through customers’ mobile devices
Improving effectiveness of marketing and promotions
Healthcare Providers and Senior Living
Improving quality of care, care planning, and quality of life
Improving inpatient and in-home patient/guest monitoring
Optimizing staffing to control costs while maintaining quality
Improving sharing of information with patients, guests, and families through online/mobile device interactions
Optimizing utilization of facilities
Optimizing management of supplies and equipment
Hospitality
Optimizing room occupation and pricing
Improving customer service, food, and entertainment offerings
Providing seamless reservation management across systems and mobile devices
Improving financial return from customer loyalty programs
Optimizing staffing
Optimizing locations and management of facilities and supplies
Legal Firms and Professional Services
Enabling faster discovery of past similar cases/engagements
Providing better analysis of engagements to predict likelihood of successful outcomes
Improving practice management including tracking of time and expenses
Uncovering demand for new services that can grow the firm
Optimizing staffing and skills based on current and projected future demand
Manufacturing – Consumer Packaged Goods
Improving methods to understand changing consumer preferences
Improving brand awareness (through promotions, advertising, and product placement) and the value of brands
Exploring new ways of going to market and delivery of goods
Optimizing product production and supply chain based on historic information and projected demand
Ensuring product quality while maintaining/improving margins
Improving consumer satisfaction in call center interactions
Manufacturing – Equipment and Vehicles
Improving product mix based on changing customers’ requirements
Adding support offerings and reducing support costs and warranty funding through improved product quality and predictive maintenance
Improving safety related to the usage of products (e.g., through increased automation)
Optimizing customers’ production output
Ensuring just-in-time delivery of parts and components in the supply chain
Media and Entertainment
Enabling differentiated content creation, acquisition, and management
Maximizing advertising effectiveness, revenue, and improving ordering/ticketing across offerings
Improving service reputation (ease of self-service, installation and repair scheduling, complaint handling)
Growing and developing offerings in non-traditional channels
Enabling venue management excellence and revenue optimization through optimized traffic flows and seating options and better targeted concessions
Oil and Gas
Improving exploration results through more insightful and timely analysis of geologic data
Enabling optimal maintenance of upstream, mid-stream, and downstream equipment
Optimizing supply chains and human resources
Improving management of environmental risk and safety
Maximizing value of real estate owned and under consideration for purchase
Improving public and regulator perception
Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices
Enabling faster clinical trials (proving success or failing sooner at lower cost during research)
Understanding effectiveness of drugs/devices as patients utilize them and identifying emerging risks sooner
Determining counterfeiting of drugs or devices sooner
Predicting demand for drugs/devices and determining promotion effectiveness
Improving management of sales and distribution
Property Management
Improving their property portfolio to match current and projected future demand
Improving their assessment of the true value of properties
Gaining a better understanding of changing demographics (and its future impact on the value of properties)
Reducing investments considered higher risk
Improving their understanding of the causes and locations of vacancies
Retail
Improving omni-channel (seamless multi-channel) experiences
Improving store operations including merchandise layout, reducing merchandise loss, and providing optimal staffing
Determining optimal retail and distribution locations and providing better management of real estate
Improving merchandise and category management
Improving advertising effectiveness across all channels
Telecommunications
Improving customer acquisition (including promotions optimization)
Creating new and differentiated offerings
Maintaining and improving network quality of service and security
Predicting unusual events (e.g., weather) and managing repairs
Optimizing their supply chain, equipment, and staff
Improving worker safety
Transportation
Optimizing routing of equipment and operators to match passenger and/or freight demands, meet schedules, and mitigate costs
Improving availability of needed equipment through predictive maintenance
Reducing traffic congestion whenever possible
Optimizing supply chain for just-in-time availability of replacement parts and supplies
Improving safety consistent with existing and emerging regulations
Modifying customer loyalty programs to increase revenue and reduce churn
Improving right-of-way maintenance and management
Utilities
Managing demand by offering incentives and other proactive measures
Maximizing utility availability through improved preventive maintenance
Optimizing their supply chain, equipment, and staffing
Maintaining service during unusual weather and other environmental events
Meeting more stringent regulatory and environmental requirements
Improving worker and facility safety
Improving management of right-of-way and real estate locations
Workshop Facility and Supplies
We have taken part in Design Thinking workshops that have a wide variation in the number of participants, ranging from a half dozen to several dozen. Having a single room that comfortably holds everyone is necessary (even if it is planned to send teams into separate rooms for some of the exercises). This is because all participants should see the problems and solutions that each team is working on so that they can evaluate them, provide feedback, and spark new ideas.
Utilizing conference rooms off-site from the company or organization is preferable when seeking to avoid physical interruptions caused by normal day-to-day activities.
Meeting rooms should have ample whiteboard and wall space to display the results of exercises. Ideally, food and refreshments should be provided in adjacent space to maximize the time spent in the workshop.
Conference room used in a Design Thinking workshop
Sticky note easel pad(s) and easel(s) – One per team taking part.
Multi-color small sticky notes – Supply each participant with multiple colors (colors usage is described in later chapters covering workshop exercises).
Writing markers – Supply each participant with a marker such that when they write their ideas, the markings will be readable from a distance.
Stickers such as stars and smiley faces – Used by each participant when voting occurs during the workshop.
Index cards – Multiple cards are provided to each participant.
Plain sheets of paper (8x10) – A few sheets are provided to each participant.
Squeezable toys – Enough toys should be on the table such that each participant can have at least one (as these can help spur creative ideas).
Name tents – To identify each participant.
Timing clock(s) – Visible to each participant during timed exercises.
Mobile camera – Usually a mobile phone, this is used to capture output from exercises.
Typical set of participant materials in a Design Thinking workshop
The supplies that we described are normally available in office supply stores if not already stocked in the company or organization where the workshop will take place. Dollar discount stores are a great and inexpensive source for the squeezable toys.
Online brainstorming applications are sometimes considered as an alternative to physical sticky notes and whiteboards. These can simplify the bill of materials needed and might be considered useful when participants are (less optimally) widely dispersed. However, some instruction is usually needed on how to use the tools and some of the spontaneity of writing ideas on sticky notes and then collaborating on where to place the notes on whiteboards and easels is lost. So, experienced facilitators often shy away from using such applications (though technology people frequently will like the idea of this approach) while also mandating that all workshop participants be at the same location.
Summary
Describe what the Design Thinking workshop is to others.
Define the key roles of participants who should take part in the workshop and their responsibilities.
Set expectations regarding coordination needed between the facilitator and sponsor(s) prior to the workshop.
Important rules and guidelines that should be put in place during the workshop.
Understand how to perform independent research the state of the business.
Leverage what could be top of mind among participants in a variety of industries.
Obtain the proper facility and the necessary supplies for a workshop.
Next, in Chapter 3, we start exploring methods and tools used in exploring the problem space during a typical workshop. We will show how our participants who take part in these exercises can define a problem that they will want to solve.