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Framing

Design Studio

Understand the problem from different team perspectives and generate many solution sketches using scenario as a guide

Length

1 to 2 hours

Participants

Core team, SMEs

Why Do It
  • Get everyone's view on the problem and context
  • Help guid decision making process
  • Discover unique solutions
When To Do It
  • Exploring a new feature
  • During project initiation stage
  • Trying to solve a complex problem
  • When you need to generate a large number of ideas
How To Do It
  • Bring everyone into one room
  • Explain the context of the problem
  • Ask everyone to sketch out the solution
  • Discuss each solution and take notes
  • After: combine designs into a prototype for user testing

Step By Step

  1. Leveraging any user journeys, personas, or scenarios your team has made, define what problem you are trying to solve and for whom.

    What are the biggest pain points?

  2. Instruct everyone to fold sheets of paper into 4, 6, or 8 sections, or make similar sections on your digital collaboration tool. The goal is to create lots of small ideas instead of detailed solutions.

    Tip: If participants are uncomfortable with sketching, take 10 minutes to do drawing warm up exercises (basic shapes, expressions, stick figures, simple wire frame notations for pictures, text, and boxes).

  3. Next, set a timer for 5-10 minutes and have each person generate as many ideas as possible using the following prompt:

    “How might we design an experience that addresses [the problem]? Use the sheets of paper to come up with as many ideas as possible and don’t over think how you draw it out.”

    Tip: It’s important not to not think of the paper as a computer or mobile screen, and to not get too caught up in details. We are looking for lots of ideas of high-level concepts.

  4. After time is up, ask each person to share their explorations (1-2 minutes per person). Encourage the team to write down questions or feedback on sticky notes and attach them to the sheet. Make sure everyone gets a turn to share.

  5. After the share out, do a second round of idea generation. This time, instead of starting from scratch, build on the ideas you discussed and push the ideas further.

  6. Have each person share out again (1-2 minutes per person).

  7. Tape or add all designs to the whiteboard, spaced adequately to allow for silent review.

  8. Give each participant an appropriate number of dots (e.g. if there are 8 participants, give 5 dots; fewer/more if there are fewer/more participants; the goal is to make people think critically about their votes), set the timer for 5-7 minutes, and ask them to dot the sketch elements (i.e. not the entire sketch) that they think could be the most successful if implemented.

  9. Once complete, look for clusters of dots and discuss the largest. Ask the group to elaborate on why they dotted what they did and catalog the rationale behind each on the whiteboard, piece of paper, or in the digital workspace.

Result
You have a clear understanding of the ideas each participant has about how best to solve a particular problem. You’ve put those ideas “onto paper”, discussed them as a group, voted on the ones the team feels most likely to create user value, and captured the rationale.