Design Thinking Workshop

Choose this exercise

Purpose: Produce a tested, low-fidelity prototype and actionable user insights for a specific human-centered challenge.

Use it when: Use when a cross-functional team needs fresh thinking on an ambiguous problem that directly affects people and wants to move past analysis paralysis into practical testing.

Skip it when: Skip when the solution has already been decided by leadership, when the problem is a purely technical calculation without a user element, or when participants lack access to real user data.

Group arrangement: Table teams of 3 to 5 participants each, pairing up in Step 6 for cross-team testing; if an odd number of teams exists, one triad rotates tests.

Timing: A structured 105-minute fast-cycle pass based on the source's condensed workshop guidance (10-15m frame, 20m empathise, 15m define, 20m ideate, 20m prototype, 15m test, 5m debrief).

Materials and tools

• 1 pad of sticky notes per participant (assorted colours)
• 1 thick marker per participant
• 5 sheets of A3 or flip chart paper per table team
• 5 sheets of scratch paper per table team
• 5 dot stickers per participant for voting
• 1 shared prototyping kit (cardboard scraps, scissors, paper cups, masking tape, pipe cleaners, string)
• 1 visible room countdown timer
• Pre-printed user interview summaries or quotes for each team table

Before participants arrive

1. Cluster tables to seat 3 to 5 participants each, ensuring clear wall or table space for posting notes.
2. Distribute sticky notes, thick markers, dot stickers, scratch paper, and blank A3 sheets at each table.
3. Set up a central supplies table with prototyping materials (scissors, tape, cardboard, cups, craft items).
4. Write the framing challenge prominently on a flip chart (for example: How might we make onboarding clear and welcoming for new employees?).
5. Write the ground rules prominently on a flip chart or wall: Defer judgment, go for volume, build on other ideas, and keep prototypes rough.

Say this to open

Welcome. Today we will move through five stages of design: Empathise, Define, Ideate, Prototype, and Test. This session is hands-on and fast. We focus on real human experiences, quantity of ideas over perfection, and rough prototypes you can touch. Let us begin with our central challenge on the board.

How to run it

1. Frame the challenge 10 minutes

   Present the central 'How Might We' challenge written on the flip chart. Review the posted ground rules: defer judgment, go for volume, build on other ideas, and keep prototypes rough. Allow 3 minutes for teams to read the pre-printed user observation summaries on their tables.

2. Empathise and map 20 minutes

   Teams review the user stories. On an A3 sheet divided into four quadrants (Says, Thinks, Does, Feels), members place sticky notes capturing observed user pain points and goals. Each team agrees on 2 key user insights.

3. Define problem statement 15 minutes

   Introduce the Point of View format: [User] needs [need] because [insight]. Teams draft 2 or 3 candidate statements on scratch paper, select the sharpest one, and write it in large marker on fresh A3 paper. Call on 1 spokesperson per team to read their statement in 30 seconds.

4. Ideate and vote 20 minutes

   Run 2 minutes of silent individual brainstorming of intentionally bad ideas to lower pressure. Then set a 5-minute timer for silent individual generation of viable solutions, one per sticky note. In round-robin fashion, members post notes on the wall and cluster related themes. Each person places 3 dot stickers on their preferred concepts. The team selects their top concept to build.

5. Build prototype 20 minutes

   Teams send members to the supply table to gather cardboard, tape, and craft materials. Teams build a physical mockup, 3D model, or paper storyboard representing their chosen idea. Give time warnings at 10 minutes and 5 minutes. The prototype must remain rough and functional enough to explain to an outsider.

6. Test with peer teams 15 minutes

   Pair each team with a partner team. Team A presents their prototype in 2 minutes without defending it; Team B gives 4 minutes of candid feedback on what excites them, what confuses them, and what fails. Switch roles for 6 minutes. In the final 3 minutes, each team consolidates their feedback and top 3 learnings onto an A3 tester feedback summary sheet.

7. Debrief and next steps 5 minutes

   Bring the room together. Invite 2 or 3 participants to answer the debrief questions. Collect the completed A3 tester feedback summaries and assign a nominated team representative to photograph each physical prototype.

Debrief questions

• What did you learn about the user's need that altered your initial assumptions?
• How did testing a rough, imperfect physical object change the type of feedback you received?
• What is the single most critical adjustment your team must make before advancing this solution?

Finished output: A physical low-fidelity prototype, an agreed Point of View problem statement, and an A3 summary of documented tester feedback for each team.

Remote

Use a digital whiteboard with pre-built boards for each team containing Empathy Map frames, ideation sticky note zones, and digital voting dots. For the prototyping stage, individuals sketch on physical paper at their desks, take a smartphone photo, and upload it to the board, or assemble a digital storyboard. Run Step 6 in paired breakout rooms.

Hybrid

Keep remote participants together in dedicated digital teams working entirely in an online whiteboard tool, while in-person participants work in local teams with physical paper and craft supplies. During Step 6, pair in-person teams with each other using physical mockups, and pair remote breakout teams with each other using shared digital screens.

Access and participation choices

• Offer fine-motor alternatives during prototyping such as sketching text storyboards or scripting role-plays instead of cutting cardboard.
• Participants may pass on whole-room verbal sharing during Step 3 and contribute purely by writing notes or clustering ideas.

If the session gets stuck

A team spends 15 minutes debating concepts during the prototype stage without building anything.

Step in at minute 5, stop the debate, and hand team members tape and cardboard. Instruct them to make any tangible element immediately and let the physical model resolve the disagreement.

During testing, presenters defensively argue with tester critiques instead of recording feedback.

Remind presenters that their only allowed response while testers speak is 'Thank you, tell me more about that.' Appoint one teammate as dedicated scribe.

Terms used here

• Point of View (POV) statement: A focused problem statement following the template: [Specific user] needs [actionable need] because [surprising insight].
• Empathy Map: A four-quadrant tool categorizing what a user says, thinks, does, and feels to identify unspoken needs.