Summary
Generative workshops are a critical generative component of any product development process. But in my 20+ years conducting product user research, I have seen more product harm come from so-called "workshops" or "design sprints" than good. In this tutorial, I will share more about my experience and what I've found are critical components of generative workshops -- whether they last five hours or five days. Contrary to popular belief, a design sprint is a highly structured and carefully designed series of exercises, not a brainstorm, design jam or free-for-all. The whole point is to drive a cross-functional team to the right outcome, and this requires a set of structured exercises which weave the thread of user needs, behaviors and attitudes throughout. This involves more than reviewing the research at the start and then moving on to create without that research in context. A true design sprint takes us from user insights -- even broad user insights -- to user-evaluated concepts or designs. The generative phase of a product is deeply impactful, and design sprints are a fantastic tool for driving this needed impact. However, many are practicing brainstorms or design jams rather than true design sprints. One can make a mismatched concept extremely usable throughout the product development process, but that will not remedy the fact that it is not the right concept. Researchers are ideal design sprint organizers and facilitators, but researchers are sometimes not even considered a critical component of the sprint. It's important for knowledgeable researchers to drive design sprint impact.
Key Insights
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Design sprints and workshops are tactical methods that must reflect human needs, behaviors, and attitudes to produce successful concepts.
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Sprint as theater, where workshops are held for appearances only, is a fundamental mistake that can do more harm than good.
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Workshops lacking structure often result in brainstorm-like concepts that don't reliably address research data.
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Not conducting or integrating research at the start or end of sprints reduces concept resonance but can be recovered post-workshop.
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Excluding key stakeholders and decision-makers risks surprise blockers and misunderstanding after workshops.
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Facilitation is a skill that requires training; untrained facilitators may struggle to manage group dynamics and keep workshops effective.
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Over-scaling back workshops due to time or resource pressures can render workshops ineffective if critical exercises are omitted.
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Clearly communicating the quality and outcomes of workshops to stakeholders helps build understanding and buy-in.
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Training a small group of facilitators can be done effectively by incremental, practical, and open dialogue-based coaching.
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Ensuring equal participation includes preparing participants on collaboration tools and explicitly fostering inclusive conversation dynamics.
Notable Quotes
"If you think of a design Sprint as something designed to take human needs, behaviors, and attitudes through to develop a concept that represents them, the outcome is completely different when done effectively versus ineffectively."
"Sprint as theater is typically initiated by non-researchers or cross-functional leaders, and it’s not going to result in a concept effectively representing human needs."
"A lack of structured exercises often causes groups to rely on brainstorms that may not reflect the upfront human-centered data."
"You can recover from lack of research by doing follow-up studies post-workshop to ground concepts."
"When key decision makers are excluded, surprise blockers appear because they don’t understand how decisions were made."
"Facilitation takes real practice. It’s a skill I had to develop, and untrained facilitators may struggle to manage personalities and keep energy balanced."
"Scaling back too much can render a workshop ineffective; knowing which exercises are fundamental is key."
"I believe facilitating generative research is a core skill for UX researchers, especially in early-stage or innovative contexts."
"To ensure equal participation, it’s important to get everyone comfortable with tools like Miro and set clear, participatory rules of engagement."
"Getting to know what stakeholders care about and aligning workshops to help achieve those goals is crucial to gaining their support."
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