One of the most fulfilling aspects of leading design is witnessing others succeed through collaboration. The "aha" moments that come from bringing together diverse talents from different parts of the organization (and sometimes different industries) are crucial for experience design. Many of these breakthroughs occur during workshops, where people work together to solve a problem in a shared space. However, this magic doesn’t happen without preparation and guidance. Designers, with their specific knowledge, curiosity, organizational skills, and enthusiasm, play a critical role in planning and facilitating these productive and result-driven workshops.
A Good workshop is productive
We've all endured meetings that seem redundant and, frankly, a waste of time. Perhaps you've also been in a meeting or a workshop that felt inspiring but lacked concrete decisions, clarity on next steps, or follow-up afterward. These are common pitfalls of design workshops. It's challenging to align the right stakeholders' schedules to collaborate effectively. The goal is for everyone to leave the workshop feeling it was time well spent.
planning and organizing productive design workshops
Clear Goal and Purpose: The workshop must have a clear and purposeful goal, directly aligned with product or business strategy. Participants should understand the goal and its relevance to justify their time commitment during working hours. The purpose should be meaningful and logical to all participants.
Concrete Decisions and Tangible Outcomes: Every workshop should lead to concrete decisions and tangible outcomes. Even if it's intended for brainstorming ideas, I recommend conducting a prioritization exercise or similar to reach decisions, not just gather ideas. At a minimum, comprehensive documentation of workshop outcomes should be produced and shared with relevant parties. Ideally, workshops should produce wireframes, prototypes, drafts, sketches of journeys, outlines for user personas or features, or other targeted insights. Both organizers and participants should have a clear vision of the intended outcomes, and all workshop exercises should contribute to achieving those outcomes.
Use Past Data and Results: Workshops should leverage past data and outcomes to avoid redundancy or repeating previous efforts without justification. It's common for workshops to feel repetitive if they produce similar results to previous sessions, leading participants to question the value of their involvement. To prevent this, I thoroughly research past efforts. How can previous research or workshop outcomes be built upon in the current workshop? If there's a connection to previous work, it's beneficial to allocate time to present those outcomes or subsequent developments. Establishing continuity between workshops helps stakeholders understand the purpose and value of each session and minimizes redundancy.
If a workshop fails to be useful and productive for stakeholders, it not only reflects negatively on the organizing team but also on design as a whole. Design often has to justify its role within an organization, and every design-related meeting or event serves as a representation of design practice to those unfamiliar with it. Therefore, I view productive design workshops not only as effective collaborative tools but also as opportunities to educate and bridge gaps with stakeholders who may lack a design background.
Lastly, working with your team to organize workshops, gather insights, and then analyze and refine the results can be a powerful way to build team spirit. Workshops unite everyone with a common goal, working collaboratively to achieve it and create a great experience for all participants. If you're not having any fun along the way, you're probably not doing it right.
