Remote workshops? Let us explain to you how to do it…
Design Thinking and Remote work (… No way?!! Way! …) in practice
Many companies have adopted the Design Thinking methodology. Some companies even made a business out of it. And they have a very good point… Design Thinking is an approach that is both easy to access, and to understand while digging in as a participant, even more when guided by skilled animators (also called facilitators, as they facilitate the group’s work).
Nothing beats collaboration and co-creation. Collaboration. Did you say collaboration? OK, great, so working remotely seems out of question, right? Well, certainly not! Even remotely, setting up this methodology is possible. Let’s walk through it together…
Indeed, at Idean, we are used to leading workshops remotely, in particular for our international projects (with 700 Ideanists around the globe, remote collaboration is a second nature).
Let’s make it clear, we are of course convinced that sharing a moment with a team in real life remains the best option to stay focused and get to the goal.
But with a big situation comes a big response !
So, concretely, how do we keep enjoying the benefits of co-creation methods in these conditions?
Let’s be creative and pragmatic. In order to mutate each of our co-creation workshops into remote workshops, here are some tips:
Recipe for a successful Design Sprint or remote workshop
Preparation: the team must gather virtually.
Good news, I believe I’ve heard about some great tools that do just that. Be cautious and add an extra 25% to your usual preparation time, especially the first time. Indeed, you should take more time to distribute preparation tasks, which is usually more efficient when the facilitator team is in a “war room”.
To do so, well trained lead designer and project manager, working hand in hand (figuratively speaking, of course) will be essential. They will, for instance, save time for facilitators to get familiar with specific sharing tools. And to fight the somewhat gloomy taste of confinement, join the online meeting even if you don’t have anything to share. Collateral benefit: you get to vote for the best work-at-home outfit of your colleagues!
More seriously, this online meeting is an opportunity for you to maintain the communication link throughout all the workshops, to share your questions, ask for group changes (live), keep your timekeeper updated… Communication must go on!
Care to advertise participants
Advise all participants well ahead, and be precise, as remote co-creation is not yet in our habits! Write the “rules of the game” in a clear presentation and enjoin people to be attentive and answer by email:
“I have understood the rules of the remote workshop and I personally commit to being entirely available and free from all concurrent tasks during the defined schedule.” — Mickael from accounting.
If the sharing tools has some subtleties, you may organise a mini hands-on workshop with your participants before the first session. Also asking all to take a look at the demo of this tool you have shared together with your best tips and tricks.
Your method of choice:
Take your usual planning and change everything you can into its “remote” version.
Method #1 : Ice-breaker
First of all, and that’s not the easiest part, how do you hold a remote “ice breaker”? Well, why not ask your participants to fill in a Google form beforehand? You could list participants’ hobbies and ask everyone to guess whose it is (using pictures). The animator sharing his screen will display all pictures and hobbies on a slide.
Check your list of favorite ice breakers and give it a try. If you need help, Mural has listed remote ice breakers on their blog.
Method #2 : Plenaries
For the inspirational plenaries, no major difficulties. A shared presentation will certainly do the job, depending on your level of ambitions.
Method #3 : Reflection workshops
For the group reflection workshops. Create workgroups, with separated conferences (shared in advance). Each group will have to connect to those “group conferences” then come back to present their work to the others in the given time, in a plenary conference. An animator with a rock-solid wifi connection is mandatory in each group. Think about writing the rules of the game in your mails sharing “group conferences”, just in case.
Method #4 : Experience map
In order to build the experience map, same principle, but the canvas or supporting material must be of an even higher level of well-preparedness than usual by the team upstream. Getting the validation from someone from business is key to avoid faux pas, and is more generally safer. Ideally you will keep some time between the workshop, the consolidation and before the restitution by the team. It is the perfect timing to attend to your kid or feed them if you need. (remember, schools are closed… and you are multitasking…)
Zoom tool:
The Miro tool includes many canvas types which can either work in collaboration or asynchronously. It allows for instance to build experience maps collaboratively.
Klaxoon is another tool (with 30 days trial) for creating different brainstorming types, votes and polls.
Mural allows you to stick and move post-its to your heart’s content, and it provides a voting tool too! Extra-bonus, we’ve just discovered the trial period just went from 30 to 90 days.
The iObeya tool also features a library of online collaborative workshops.
The Jamboard tool, a basic tool for online brainstorming, is accessible from the Google suite … I think you’ve got the point: there are plenty of choices to pick from.
Yet, we are looking forward to getting your feedback and suggestions on social networks. We know designers are a close and bound community. Don’t prove us wrong ;)
Sketching, hum, that’s another story…
You basically have two choices:
1. Ask participants to sketch, take pictures and explain to other group members. Then let the animator or courageous reporter do a sum-up.
2. Prepare some elements on Sketch (or your favorite tool) then ask the animator to sketch for the group on a shared screen, following vocal feedback from the participants. I know what you’re thinking: how can we prepare the elements upstream? Well, you should focus on relatively generic, customizable elements and many examples inspired by participants. A quick internal test / rehearsal should help you make it right.
Unfolding:
The planning will have to be prolonged by 10/15 minutes for each workshop to take into account the connection time of all participants (“wait, Kim is not online, I’m calling her”), especially if you are using different sharing tools for different workshops.
Shorten your days to take some quality time for debriefing and reviewing the planning of the next day. At least until everybody gets used to new habits. In the end, a 3-day Design Sprint (which is already a heartbreaker ;-)), may need to be split into 2 times 2 days, for example.
You’re up next! With a little bit of creativity, we always find our way!
Recipe summary for the project manager. Ingredients:
- 25% more preparation time than usual the first time, which could be reduces for the next ones with the same team. Including:
- some time for animators and participants to get their hands on the tools, plus some extra rehearsal time for the most tricky exercises,
- validation of specific props such as canvas and workshop support materials (users map, personas, etc.).
2. Participants / experts mastering chosen tools, such as Sketch.
3. Preparation emails sent to participants with “reading confirmation”:
- one explaining the “new” principle of remote Design Thinking,
- one explaining the “rules of the game”. With a tracking table for responses and follow-up notices,
- one for ice-breaker preparation.
4. An adapted planning, with consolidation times that may break the usual “behind closed doors” principle, to be defined with the lead designer depending on the exercises.
5. Prepared conferences ready for screen-sharing:
- designers conference (similar to war room, active throughout the project),
- main conference (equivalent to pleniarie),
- group conferences (like dedicated rooms for workgroups).
Bring collective intelligence to life in your structure!
We hope that by now you feel ready for these remote workshops. And if you need a little refresher on the Design Thinking methodology, download our free book “Design Thinking is dead. Long live Design Thinking!”. You will find some great exercise templates and you can brush up on the whole process again..
And why not call on outside help?
Need a coaching session? Thinking about your first collaborative session remotely? Need to establish a collaborative design methodology for your project? Or just to talk about your user experience strategy?
Our Idean experts are ready (and yes, even from a distance, we are there!) to help you coach your teams to collaborate effectively, taking into account the constraints of distance. We always work by taking into account your projects and constraints to carry out our bespoke sessions with you and for you, as we do for all our customers in France or abroad.
Contact us ! contact.france@idean.com
References :
Tools
Article
- Openclassroom — “How to master remote working?” (in french)
Ideas and best practices
- An ebook on facilitating distance workshops
- Energizers ideas
- Our free book “Design Thinking is dead. Long live Design Thinking!”
