Methodology

Read more about how Will and I experimented with our current one-size-fits-all agency design process in several workshops.

Will and I aren’t going to pretend we have all the answers. We’re just trying to tackle a problem we’re witnessing, time and time again. Namely, that design is at risk of turning into a middle-class problem solving machine. Or, as Dan Harvey, Experience Design Director at SapientNitro London, points out:

“Or, even worse, a white urban tech elite “problem” solving machine. There are two Silicon Valleys. The classic one that is full of physical engineers and transistors. The new one is full of San Francisco tech bros that make apps to replace their parents.”

Time-strapped (I am moving to Hong Kong next month 😮), Will and I decided to opt for the most convenient route, i.e. invite a group of people from different parts of the agency to take part in a 1.5–2 hour workshop every week — tackling a different part of the design process each time.

We couldn’t resist slotting Bruce Lee in there.

Some very serious faces here! We had people from client services, experience design, creative technology, copywriting, etc.

There was no one-sized-fits-all methodology. We discovered we had to tailor each workshop to each design problem. Here’s what we did for each one.

Best-in-class research

You can check out our findings here.

1. The workshop began with a quick brainstorm on “What do you like / dislike about-best-in-class research?”, with people writing their individual observations down onto post-its.
2. Each participant then shared their thoughts with the group. Collectively, we grouped the observations into 3–4 themes.
3. Each group was assigned a theme, and we began coming up with ideas. We used Design Council’s famed Double Diamond model to help guide us towards a tangible solution.
4. After 20 minutes of ideation, each group had to illustrate how their tangible solution would come to life in a comic strip style storyboard. The idea was that instead of just presenting a bunch of ideas, we’d show how this would play out in an agency context: both externally (client-facing) and internally.
5. The session ended with a reflections session. We used Stanford d.School’s I Wish, I Like, What If method.

Ideation

For the ideation workshop, however, we opted for a different route. After looking at numerous ideation tools — from Hyper Island’s Toolbox to those in Robert Curedale’s Service Design: 250 Essential Methods — we decided to try something different… (Hint: Improv.)

We realised that many ideation tools seize the power of ‘Yes, and…’ to get people collaborating and building on top of each other’s ideas. Yes, and… ‘Yes, and…’ actually derives from improv.

So we decided to use improv as the basis of our approach to ideation.

We didn’t want to just create or add to a toolbox. We wanted to experiment with the philosophy of ideation. We wanted to stretch people’s thinking to see if we could forge new serendipitous connections.

A screen grab from our presentation. (Note: Plato!)

1. To get people in the mood, we started off with an ice breaker. The group stood in a circle. One person started off by saying a word, and then the next person had to say the first word that comes to mind after hearing the first word, and so on. We did two rounds of this. We then got people to weave a sentence together by saying one word around in a circle.
2. Next, participants had to pair up and do a partner ‘Yes, and…’ exercise. The first person completed the phrase, ‘Once upon a time, there was a…’, and the second person built on the sentence with, ‘Yes, and…‘, and so on. We did this for 2 minutes. The participants then switched, with the second person starting the exercise this time. The prompt was, ‘Amazon is dead. We’re at the funeral.’ Again, we did this for 2 minutes.
3. We rounded this off with a quick reflections exercise (e.g. ‘How did you feel?’, or ‘What did you learn?’), getting individuals to write their thoughts down onto post-its before sharing their thoughts to the group.
4. Next, we did a group ‘Yes, and…’ exercise with two briefs: one on the future of airlines and the other on a building an AI bank —spending roughly 5 minutes per brief. The opening sentence was left to the individual’s discretion. Again, we ended with a quick reflections exercise.
5. Now for the final activity: Cut to the Chase. Each pair chose an idea from the group ‘Yes, and…’ exercise and were given 10 minutes to flesh it out. They could draw on the board, use post-its, etc.
6. Each pair presented to the group for one minute. Now comes the fun part (hence the name of the exercise). Without prompting them beforehand, we asked the pair to immediately replay their idea in 30 seconds, and again in 15 seconds. This was adapted from an Atlantic article we read on how tomorrow’s doctors are learning improv.
7. Like the best-in-class workshop, the session ended with a reflections session. We used Stanford d.School’s I Wish, I Like, What If method.

One of our favourite stills from the ideation workshop.

Value propositions

For our final workshop, Will and I decided to explore value propositions. We devised a new framework for uncovering value below the tip of the iceberg. You can read more about The Iceberg Canvas in our latest post here (update: September 2017).

In the meantime, check out our introductory post on “Redesigning the Agency Design Process”.