What’s the deal with Workshops?
Workshops are a vital part of any PM toolkit as they enable participants to come together for a concentrated time of problem discovery & idea generation and hands-on activities that allow them to achieve an actionable goal.
They are essential for gathering diverse perspectives, fostering mutual understanding of ideas and plans, and promoting inclusive decision-making. When well-planned and properly executed, workshops can significantly boost momentum and progress in projects, surpassing the benefits of standard meetings. While meetings are ideal for sharing information, workshops excel at hands-on problem-solving.
Meeting vs Workshop
Meetings are a way for people to exchange information. (Think: status updates or general knowledge sharing.). In comparison, workshops are for solving problems, with a concentrated time dedicated to idea generation and hands-on activities that allow groups to achieve an actionable, predefined goal. Simply put, meetings are where things get discussed.
When Should I Have a Workshop?
Workshops are particularly useful in situations that require input and consensus from diverse groups or that would benefit from shared ownership.
Even if these are branded as UX workshops, they apply to the entire PM process. Here are five common scenarios where UX workshops are highly effective:
Discovery Workshops:
- Purpose: To understand the current state and build consensus for milestones and plans for an upcoming project.
- Participants: Team members and key knowledge holders.
Empathy Workshops:
- Purpose: To create a shared understanding of user needs before designing a solution.
- Participants: Designers, researchers, and other stakeholders.
Design Workshops:
- Purpose: To rapidly generate and discuss a wide set of ideas from various perspectives.
- Participants: Cross-disciplinary team members.
Prioritization Workshops:
- Purpose: To decide which items are most important and prioritize them.
- Participants: Team members and key decision-makers.
Critique Workshops:
- Purpose: To analyze and improve a design so that it meets its objectives.
- Participants: Roles integral to the design process.
Each of these scenarios benefits from a workshop setting because participants need to focus deeply on specific topics, make decisions, and act upon information collaboratively.
Purpose and Scope
Meetings are suitable for exchanging information, such as status updates or general knowledge sharing. In contrast, workshops are designed for solving problems with dedicated time for idea generation and hands-on activities. While meetings cover many topics superficially, workshops delve deeply into particular issues.
A Model for Conducting UX Workshops and Exercises
To ensure participants gain the most from UX activities, use a three-step process: explain, execute, and examine.
Explain:
- Introduce the activity and describe how to perform it.
- Walk through the process and identify necessary steps.
- Define roles for group members and discuss the context and importance of the activity.
Execute:
- Let participants carry out the activity while providing support and observing.
- Stay in the background unless intervention is needed to clarify instructions.
Examine:
- Debrief by presenting, reflecting, and connecting the outcomes.
- Allow participants to showcase their work, reflect on the activity, and connect it to previous learnings and future steps.
Practical Tips to Improve Facilitation
Scale the Model:
- Adjust the three-step process to fit the time constraints and scope of the workshop. This can range from a 30-minute activity to a day-long workshop.
Avoid Facilitating and Contributing Simultaneously:
- Stay neutral to avoid bias. If you must contribute, rotate facilitation roles among team members.
Iterate and Improve:
- Document what worked and what didn’t after each workshop. Use these insights to refine your facilitation approach.
Observe Other Facilitators:
- Learn by watching other facilitators. Analyze their methods and adapt successful techniques to your style.
By following these guidelines, you can conduct UX workshops that are effective, inclusive, and impactful, leading to actionable insights and better design decisions.
Activities and Methods for UX Workshops
Selecting the right activities to drive engagement, encourage contributions, and help participants create valuable artifacts and outputs is a critical part of workshop planning. Use these resources to:
- Learn a set of foundational workshop activities
- Understand how and when to use core activities
- Learn tips for facilitating activity-driven segments of workshops
Foundational UX Workshop Activities
Dot Voting: A Simple Decision-Making and Prioritizing Technique in UX
How to Prioritize Ideas from UX Brainstorming Sessions (Video)
Learn the in-depth of workshops from NNg
Facilitating UX Workshops: Study Guide
Facilitating UX Workshops | NN/g Training Course
