Innovative Techniques for Design Thinking Workshops

Want more productive workshops? Try stopping them sooner. Workshops often lock people in a room for two or three hours and expect them to do their best thinking on demand. Do we really have to hold people hostage to be productive? Lately, I’ve been using a technique I call "Echo Sessions." Instead of forcing deep work to happen in real time, we kickstart an activity, get clarity, but then stop just as people are getting into it. That pause is intentional. It’s based on the same principle as the Pomodoro technique—when you leave something unfinished while still feeling engaged, you'll find it easy to return to it later and give it space to percolate. Instead of dragging out a long workshop, I schedule an Echo Session later—often in the same day—where everyone brings their independent or small group work back for discussion, iteration, and action. Why does this work? ✅ Encourages Deep Work – People get time to think, research, or create in their own way, rather than being forced into artificial collaboration. ✅ Optimizes Meeting Time – Workshops should be for shared understanding, decision-making, and iteration—not for quiet focus time. ✅ Respects Different Work Styles – Some need time to walk and think. Others need to sketch. Some want to research or tap into AI. Echo Sessions give people time and space to work in the way that’s best for them. ✅ Creates Natural Momentum – Stopping at a high-energy moment makes people want to continue later, giving them space to create, rather than leaving them drained from a marathon session. ✅ Reduces Calendar Lockdowns – Instead of monopolizing hours at a time, work is distributed more effectively and meetings are only used when necessary. Most importantly, this approach treats participants like adults. It gives them flexibility and agency while ensuring that meetings serve a clear, valuable purpose. We don’t need long workshops. We need better workshops. Curious—how do you approach workshop fatigue? Would this work in your team?

Toilets, Trains, and Teamwork — What my vacation to Japan taught me about facilitation. I just got back from nearly two weeks in Japan. I lived there for a few months during a semester abroad in college, but it had been (cough) a few decades since I’d been back. SO much fun, and SUCH an inspiring place. Below are a few reflections on what workshop facilitators (whether in-house or independent) can learn from the unique (and sometimes crazy) world of Japanese culture. (Check out the carousel for more details.) ----- 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗯𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗼𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. HOW TO APPLY THIS TO FACILITATION: - Design sessions that ebb and flow — from wild to still, from loud to reflective. That rhythm makes everything more memorable. - Build in moments of quiet reflection between high-energy exercises. - Don’t just facilitate the discuss — facilitate the tempo and energy. 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻𝘀. HOW TO APPLY THIS TO FACILITATION: - We don’t let people talk all willy-nilly in workshops. Discussions are sequenced. The facilitator decides who speaks in what order. - Build a rhythm into your sessions where everyone gets a chance to reflect, speak, and respond — not just react-in-real-time. This avoids the “collaboration chaos” of typical meetings. - When we model turn-taking as facilitators, we show that speed isn’t just about “going fast” — it’s about flowing together without friction. 𝗦𝗶𝗺𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗲𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗹𝘆 𝗵𝗶-𝘁𝗲𝗰𝗵 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗹𝗼-𝘁𝗲𝗰𝗵. HOW TO APPLY THIS TO FACILITATION: - The best sessions aren’t about the flashiest tools — they’re about using the right format to get the best thinking from the group. - Sometimes Sticky-Notes + Marker beats an app. Don’t mistake “modern” for “better.” - Use high-tech tools to speed things up — but low-tech tools to slow things down when it matters. Both have their place. 𝗟𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝘂𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹. HOW TO APPLY THIS TO FACILITATION: - Magic doesn’t come from complexity — it comes from intention. - Add tiny moments of delight — a surprising slide, a thoughtful snack, a playful sound cue — that make the experience feel crafted and special. - Use subtle cues to guide the flow, like musical timers, visual signals, or tone shifts — so people always feel held, not herded. 𝗕𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗮𝗻𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆. HOW TO APPLY THIS TO FACILITATION: - Treat fun as fuel — not fluff. The sillier moments can often lead to the smartest insights. Design sessions that are both fun and productive — not one, then the other. - A light atmosphere makes heavy work feel possible. The goal isn’t to make everything easy — it’s to make it easier to try.

Can AI Really 10X Your Design Thinking Workshops? Remember when UX workshops meant a room full of people voting with sticky notes and sharpies? Fancy executives acting like kindergartners for a day, everyone feeling creative, but walking away with... just another idea? The frustrating truth: traditional design workshops rarely produced tangible outcomes. Just vague concepts that would take months to materialize (if ever). Those days are over. With AI tools integrated into each stage of the IDEO design thinking process, we can compress months into hours and deliver actual working prototypes: 1️⃣ EMPATHIZE: Use Gemini (by Google or ChatGPT by OpenAI for deep research and user insights in minutes 2️⃣ DEFINE: Let any LLM and AI articulate precise problem statements that hit business and user needs 3️⃣ IDEATE: Generate wireframes with Claude AI while team collaborates in Miro (You can also do it in FIgma, or with sharpies!). Take the image of the sketched wireframe, upload to claude and let it do the code. 4️⃣ PROTOTYPE: Transform concepts into interactive demos with Lovable before lunch (you can even import Figma's sketches at this point) 5️⃣ TEST: Gather immediate feedback and iterate in real-time on your live, coded concept and prototype. I recently ran a workshop at a big bank where we went from vague challenge to working prototype in a single day. The executives weren't playing anymore—they were speechless. This isn't incremental improvement. It's a complete reimagining of the design process. Last week when I said "Figma is dead," people told me that the design process can't be replaced by AI. I never said it would be replaced—I said we should redesign it with AI tools. And that's exactly what's happening.