Back of the Napkin

Choose this exercise

Purpose: Distill a complex response or solution into a single visual sketch on a constrained surface.

Use it when: Use during ideation, icebreaking, or reception events when participants need to crystallize ideas quickly without getting bogged down in detailed documentation.

Skip it when: Skip when a problem requires precise quantitative analysis, technical specifications, or formal written documentation.

Group arrangement: Teams of 2 to 4 people

Timing: Gamestorming suggests a minimum of 10 minutes per question; UWT sets 20 minutes to include briefing, sketching, and gallery review.

Materials and tools

• Folded paper napkins (around 5x5 inches, smooth paper surface, 2 to 3 per team)
• Gel pens or fine-tip markers (1 per person)
• Roll of masking tape or painter's tape (1 roll per 12 participants)
• Flip chart paper or dedicated wall space for gallery display
• Countdown timer

Before participants arrive

1. Post one broad, open-ended question prominently on the room board.
2. Set out stacks of folded paper napkins and gel pens on tables.
3. Clear wall space and hang flip chart paper labeled Napkin Gallery.

Say this to open

Welcome. You have one open-ended question on the board. In teams of two to four, your task is to sketch and write a response that fits entirely onto the top surface of a single folded paper napkin. Do not unfold the napkin. Write team members' names on the back. Focus on capturing the core idea simply so someone walking past understands it at a glance.

How to run it

1. Form teams and review question 3 minutes

   Point participants to the posted prompt. Have people form teams of 2 to 4, ideally pairing with someone they do not work with every day. Distribute napkins and gel pens. Confirm everyone understands that only the visible top face of the folded napkin may be used.

2. Sketch napkin concepts 10 minutes

   Teams discuss the prompt and draft their concept onto the napkin using sketches, diagrams, and brief labels. Participants write their first names on the back of the napkin. Teams may discard an ink-torn napkin and start one fresh napkin if needed. Start the 10-minute timer.

3. Mount napkin gallery 2 minutes

   When the timer rings, invite one member from each team to tape their napkin to the wall gallery using a small loop of masking tape. Ensure all napkins remain folded and readable.

4. Gallery review and debrief 5 minutes

   Have everyone walk the gallery silently for two minutes. Regroup and ask two targeted debrief questions. Take three or four brief responses from volunteers across the room to close within time.

Debrief questions

• Which napkin conveyed its core idea the fastest, and what made it work?
• How did the physical constraint of a napkin change the way you framed your solution?
• What is one idea from another team that you would test or refine further?

Finished output: A wall-mounted gallery of folded paper napkins displaying illustrated solutions to the core prompt.

Remote

Create an online whiteboard with square 500x500 pixel frames styled as napkins. Set breakout rooms of 2 to 4 participants. Each team uses virtual pen and shape tools to draw their concept in their assigned square within 10 minutes. Bring everyone back to view the shared board and conduct the debrief in the main room.

Hybrid

Remote teams draw on shared square canvas frames in a digital whiteboard while in-person teams use physical napkins. The facilitator photographs physical napkins and posts them into the digital whiteboard during the mounting step so all participants review the same gallery.

Access and participation choices

• Participants can choose to contribute by dictating words, drawing, structuring layout, or managing the timer within their group.
• Any participant who prefers not to draw or share publicly may opt to observe the gallery walk and contribute verbally to the debrief without penalty.

If the session gets stuck

The pen tears through the fragile napkin paper.

Provide smooth, multi-ply dinner napkins and gel pens or light felt-tip pens instead of sharp ballpoints.

Teams want to unfold the napkin to gain more writing space.

Remind the room before sketching begins that the constraint is the point: ideas must fit the single folded face.

Terms used here

• Back of the napkin: An informal sketch or calculation capturing a concept simply on a paper napkin.