3 things I learned from facilitating a Design-thinking workshop at Adobe
from a mid-level designer who has never run a workshop before.
Some context about the event — This Design-thinking workshop was a volunteer opportunity where a non-profit (The JED Foundation) gives Adobe a problem they are trying to solve. Adobe coordinates employees from across the company — from finance to marketing to legal — and someone from Adobe Design to facilitate (me!). It's a total win-win; Adobe employees learn design-thinking skills and the JED Foundation has a bunch of great solutions by the end of the week.
I was able to use the workshop as a sandbox to try out different design-thinking exercises and meet employees that I would never normally work with. It was great to learn and test new skills in a pressure-free environment while also volunteering my time to a cause I support. While I learned way more than what I call out below — in hindsight, they are the insights that stuck out to me the most.
1. I am good enough to do it.
I have crazy imposter syndrome — not a unique experience to any mid-level designer. A huge hurdle to facilitating a workshop is the all-or-nothing-ness of it. To get any experience as a facilitator, I had to throw myself into the deep end.
Failing to prepare is preparing to fail.
To be sure that I was able to properly facilitate my cohort, I prepared… a lot. I spoke with senior designers on my team that regularly facilitate design-thinking workshops. Based on their advice, I planned out exercises, created a miro board with templates, and did a practice run.
I learned that I am able to take on leadership positions, even when it feels daunting and above my skill level. Done is better than perfect. However, to be successful I should rely on my peers and mentors so that my preparation is precise and beneficial.
2. The loudest voice isn't necessarily the right one.
This goes for the most senior title in the room, the person who uses the most technical jargon, or the person who has the most experience. Being on the “other side” of one of these workshops, I was able to get an unbiased view. Early on, I could easily tell who was the most outspoken team member. Their enthusiasm was amazing and added to the fun of the exercises, however, it took over the conversation. To help facilitate, I called on team members when I could tell they were on the brink of speaking. Most times, I could see relief when they were given the floor instead of having to take it.
I learned that, even remotely, it is important to give the floor in all meetings — and not make people take it. I am generally outspoken in meetings-which took me a long time to build that confidence. However, now as I close my thoughts in meetings, I will try to look at my less out-spoken peers to see if I should give them the floor. If so, at the end of my thought I may say something like “and I’ll popcorn it over to Susie.” Finally, dot voting makes sure that everyone’s voice is equally valued — something that I hope to incorporate more moving forward
3. People tend to rely heavily on anecdotal stories.
The first day of the workshop’s time was filled with an expert panel. Everyone listened intently to learn about the problems space and the needs of the end-user. This was expedited was to absorb first-hand data.
The next day, as I began facilitating, team members started opening up and sharing their own experiences within the problem space. On one hand, this was amazing to build mutual respect and honesty within the team. On the other hand, I could tell it was leading the team relying on these anecdotal stories instead of the data and expertise from the expert panel the day prior.
I learned there is a fine line a facilitator has to walk by allowing each team member to share their story, but also remind them that they are not the end-user. I found that asking another person a similar question will likely elicit a very different story. This prompts me to remind the cohort of the expert panel and to reframe the thinking around the end-user. A lot of times this would involve the team revisiting the empathy map we completed by using post-its to jot down feelings, insights, and actions from the expert panel session.
A few things that I look forward to improving on
- Trusting my ability!
- Creating a virtual environment that encourages discourse.
- Guiding the cohort to a conclusion of an exercise seamlessly.
- Keeping the end-user and problem statement in the forefront.
