The "Magic" Workshop
Starting from a blank page can be intimidating.
When I founded Notes and String in 2011 we had a product that was revolutionary. We were providing a tool that did not exist, a way to bring paper and pen design process to the screen.Here was a tool that brought design thinking to life, delighted our customers, and grew to over 10,000 users. Many other competitors quickly sprung up and eventually took over our space in the market, but we never stopped listening to our users.
Many of those feature requests have now been implemented by competitors who came to market after us, but one thing still remains on our “bucket list” which is education. Our product, and quite honestly many others, do not include design thinking education. That is something the user is expected to bring with them. It means that these tools, while powerful, still remain in the hands of designers and not the people. In other words, it perpetuates a technocracy where some users have the knowledge to be successful while others simply have access to the tools. It would be like giving someone the tools to build a house, but not the knowledge, and then wondering why they did not succeed.
One thing our customers consistently brought to us was a question: Where do I start?
The "Magic" Format
Step 1: Define the Problem – 1hr
Clearly understand the problem you want to solve.
Solving the wrong problem can be expensive, and time consuming. Use these workshops to make sure that the problem you think you're solving is the problem you should be solving.
15mins - Five Whys
30mins - Assumptions and Questions
Step 2: Imagine Solutions – 1.5hrs
Imagine solutions, then prioritize.
Start by identifying who you're designing for, both on your team and your users or customers! Then work together to come up with ideas on how to solve it. There are no bad ideas here!
10mins - Stakeholder Map
10mins - Empathy Map
5mins - No Bad Ideas
15mins - Big Ideas
20mins - Prioritization Grid
Step 3: Vision – 2hrs
Create a shared vision of the future.
Create a series of (up to) three "Who, What, Wow!" statements based on the ideas you have prioritized. Draw low fidelity storyboards to help tell your story.
½ hour - Who, What, Wow!
1 hour - Storyboard
Playback – Ongoing
Share what you've created.
Learn how to create a sponsor user program to keep your customers in the loop. Use playbacks to share your vision with your team, your stakeholders and, most importantly, your users! Practice taking turns telling your story so that everyone can describe what you've come up with and why.
Next Steps
Start Designing!
Trust the Process
I have re-designed Notes and String from scratch to answer this question. Since there are many other digital tools that frankly offer better features than Notes and String ever did, I have moved us back to the physical space, where this all began. I have also focused on education rather than tools. The tools, after all, are simply digital copies of Post It Notes. While digital sticky notes were revolutionary at the time, it’s hardly revolutionary now. Now what is revolutionary is putting the KNOWLEDGE of how to design great software into the hands of the people.
To that end, I am sharing my own personal design process, the exact process I have used to build great software since the 90s, from physical to digital and back to physical again. This process WORKS. I guarantee it. I flat out promise it. I’d offer a money back guarantee but I’m not charging anything for it in the first place. Give it a try, and if it doesn’t work for you, please either fill in the feedback grid below, or send me an email directly.
This format has been tried and tested over and over again in professional settings from startups to enterprise, from new products to established ones. It's been informed and inspired by some of the greats of design such as the famous Norman Nielsen Group, the Stanford d.school, IDEO, and IBM Design, and many others. I have truly put this process through the fires so that you don't have to. I will give you the recipe here and then show you not just instructions but successful examples as we go.
This workshop format will get you, your team, and even your whole organization on a path to success — quickly! It just works.
That's why I call it magic!
Workshop Facilitation
To schedule a workshop with me, please contact me by email at alan@alanunderwood.com or by text at (919) 827-3185