TOOLKITS FOR CO-CREATION

While the myth of a lone inventor seems to persist even in the present day, there is increasing evidence of how connections and networks are in fact the key to innovations. Here, we’ve collected some tips and tools to look at challenges from multiple angles, create diverse solution options through the ideation toolkit, and help plan how to bring initial ideas into something you can try out through the experimentation toolkit. Mix and match these free-to-use tools depending on your own needs.

Scroll down to check out instructions and templates for:

needfinding or user research, including mapping different stakeholders and planning further data collection,
reframing or looking at different perspectives to your project,
ideation, generating different ideas on how you might take your project further or address a challenge you are facing, and
planning experimentation to flesh out your idea and think about how to test it in practice.

Looking for inspiration for sustainable design instead? Check out the Design+Sustainability Card Deck!

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COLLECTING USER INSIGHTS

Why?

Needfinding is a great way to get a deeper understanding of the needs and motivations of your target stakeholders. While we often assume we know what people need, most new products, startups and organizational change efforts fail due to insufficient understanding of the needs of different users and stakeholders. A deep understanding comes from empathizing with stakeholders’ motivations that drive their behaviors.

While desk research and surveys are valuable tools to get a general lay of the land, engaging directly with stakeholders supports building that necessary emotional connection and understanding.

How?

These tools are created for anyone who wants to collect better user insights and are free to use.

We recommend that each needfinding planning session has a facilitator who focuses on running the session rather than producing ideas. This is particularly important if multiple teams take part in the same session. This handbook guides you through what to do.

However, you can still use this toolkit if everybody wants to participate in the needfinding planning without anybody taking the role of facilitator. If this is the case, review the cheat sheet and consider reviewing the handbook, too, with the entire team participating in the session. Using a timer can also be a helpful way to manage the activities. Combined, these tools can help the team move along when everybody gets too absorbed in the tasks.

HANDBOOK

This document is for the facilitator to prepare for a session, as well as during the session itself. This is your handbook with detailed descriptions of all exercises.

TEMPLATES

This document should be printed before the session on A3. Some pages you should print more than once, depending on the number of participants.

CHEAT SHEET

This document will help the facilitator and participants during the session itself. This is your quick reference.

MIRO TEMPLATE

This takes you to a Miro template which you can use instead of the physical templates. All instructions are repeated here to guide you through the session.

FRAMING BETTER CHALLENGES

Why?

Framing the challenge is a critical exercise in design. Framing challenges the assumption that we are aligned around what we aim to do, for whom, and why. The easiest way to think outside the box is to describe the box differently or redraw the box completely! No challenge or goal is without assumptions or limitations, but by spending time on framing, we can make those assumptions explicit and explore several options before deciding on one. That way, you create clarity and shared understanding within your team. The time you spend on framing will help to set you up for success in developing solutions to your challenge.

How?

These tools are created for anyone who wants to frame better design, development, or innovation challenges and are free to use.

We recommend that each framing session has an organizer/facilitator who focuses on running the session rather than producing ideas. This is particularly important if more than one group works in the same session. This handbook guides you through what to do.

However, you can also use this toolkit and participate in the framing. If this is the case, share the cheat sheet and consider sharing the handbook, too, with the entire team participating in the session. This way, if you get too absorbed in the tasks, they can help remind the team that it’s time to move along.