Workshop Examples:
Design Thinking

Brainstorming - Find wild ideas

Brainstorming is a simple 5 steps collaborative workshop that enables participants to generate, select and enrich ideas that can solve their business problem or challenge.

​

Brainwriting 6-3-5 - Write down your ideas

The brainwriting 6-3-5 is a creative collaborative workshop that encourages everyone to participate and generate a large number of ideas in a short period of time. By sharing ideas without speaking, it enables each participant to make better ideas on all parts of the subject.

​

COCD Box - Select wild ideas

Selecting ideas after an ideation session can be really dangerous because of the risk of losing the most creative ideas and get back to "safe" ideas is really high.

To avoid that trap, the COCD Box methodology, a methodology developed by the Center for Development of Creative Thinking enables to select 3 kinds of ideas:
 

• Blue ideas: ideas that are common and feasible --> NOW

• Red ideas: ideas that are original and feasible --> WOW

• Yellow ideas: ideas that are original and not (yet) feasible --> HOW

​

CPS Step 1 - Explore the Vision

Explore the vision is the first step of the Clarify stage of the Creative Problem Solving process. Its purpose is to identify our primary goal, wish or challenge. This activity is made of 2 phases:
 

• A divergent phase to generate as many wish statements as possible. To do so, the team will use a Silent Brainstorming technique followed by a traditional Brainstorming session

• A convergent phase to select the one wish that will be taken over to CPS - 2. Gather Data. To do so the team will use the $100 budget game followed by the 3 "I"s technique.

​

CPS Step 2 - Gather Data

Gather Data is the second step of the Clarify stage of the Creative Problem Solving process. Its purpose is to describe and generate data to enable a clear understanding of the challenge.

In this activity, the team will use the Know / Wonder technique to identify what they know and what we wonder about our challenge. Then they need to take the time to gather the missing data.

​

CPS Step 3 - Formulate Challenges

Formulate Challenges is the third step of the Clarify stage in the Creative Problem Solving process. Its purpose is to sharpen awareness of the challenge and create challenge questions that invite solutions.

In this workshop, the team will go through:

A) A divergent phase to generate as many challenge statements as possible. To do so, they will use the Word Dance technique.

B) A convergent phase to select the one challenge that will be taken over to CPS - 4. Explore Ideas. To do so they will use the 3 "I"s technique.

 

CPS Step 4 - Explore Ideas

Explore Ideas is the fourth step of the Creative Problem Solving process. Its purpose is to generate ideas that answer the challenge questions.

 

This activity is made of 2 phases:

• A) A divergent phase to generate as many ideas as possible. To do so, the team will use 3 different techniques: brainstorming, Super-Powers and Forced Connections.

• B) A convergent phase to select the one idea that will be taken over to CPS - 5. Develop Solutions. To do so the team will use a simplified version of the COCD Idea Box.

 

CPS - 5. Develop Solutions

To do so the team will use a simplified version of the COCD Idea Box.

 

Formulate Solutions is the fifth step of the Creative Problem Solving process. Its purpose is to move from ideas to solutions, evaluate, strengthen, and select solutions for best “fit.”

In this workshop, the team will go through:

A divergent phase to generate a list of options to strengthen the idea(s). To do so, the team will use the POINt technique.

A convergent phase to formulate the final solution that the team will take over to CPS - 6. Formulate the Plan. To do so the team will use the NUF technique.
 

CPS Step 6 - Formulate the Plan

Formulate a plan is the sixth and last step of the Creative Problem Solving process. Its purpose is to explore acceptance and identify resources and actions that will support the implementation of the selected solution(s).

In this workshop, the team will go through:

A) A divergent phase to generate as many actions as possible. To do so, they will use the Assistor/Resistor, technique followed by a reverse brainstorming.

B) A convergent phase to formalize an action plan with short term, medium term and long term actions.

​

Customer Empathy Map - Put yourself in their shoes

The Customer Empathy Map is a tool used to increase your Understanding of your customer. By putting yourself in his own shoes, you will be able to truly understand the client's buying behavior. Ultimately, it is often used to improve the customer experience. In this collaborative session, we will:
 

• Identify your customer behavior

• Find the pains and gains of your customer

• Discuss it with an insight cloud

• Think about solutions to your customer

• Select the best solution and discuss it

​

Fun with Tetrads - Extend, Flip, Obsolesce and Retrieve a Concept

TETRAD is a 2X2 canvas where participants have to answer these questions:

• EXTEND: What might it improve or make possible?

• OBSOLESCE: What might it supplant, replace, or eliminate?

• RETRIEVE: What might it revive, bring back from the past?

• FLIP: What unexpected problems or opportunities might it create?

 

This framework is used to explore and augment a concept.

KnoWonder - List What We Know & What We Wonder

KnoWonder is a simple yet powerful tool that will enable us to quickly capture what we know about our topic what we are still wondering about it.

Then, we will know what we don't know and be able to plan data collection accordingly.

 

This activity usually takes place during:

• The 'What's Going On' phase of a Productive Thinking project

• The 'Gather data' phase of a Creative Problem Solving project

• The 'Empathy' phase of a Design Thinking project

• The 'Measure' phase of a Six Sigma project

• As an 'Opening activity' of an Interactive Event or meeting
   

Mood Board - Visually illustrate the overall "feel" of an idea

Mood Board is a collaborative and creative activity that will enable a team to visually represent the feel of an idea (or challenge or trend or solution) with colors, photos, collage, and drawings.